MINUTES
CITY OF DELANO
CITY COUNCIL – SPECIAL MEETING
December 4, 2023
CALL TO ORDER
Mayor Alindajao called the meeting to order at 5:30 p.m. in the City Hall Council Chambers, 1015 – 11th Avenue.
INVOCATION
Pastor David Vivas offered the invocation.
FLAG SALUTE
Council Member Nunez led flag salute.
ROLL CALL
Council members present: Mayor Joe Alindajao, Mayor Pro Tem Salvador Solorio-Ruiz, Liz Morris, Mario Nunez, Jr., Veronica Vasquez
Council members absent: NONE
OFFICIALS PRESENT
City Manager Reyna, City Clerk Garcia, Interim City Attorney Hensley, Finance Director Lara Rios, City Engineer Dowling, Human Resources Director Zamudio, Interim Chief Nicholson, Fire Chief Duncan
SPECIAL AGENDA ITEM(S)
1) Mayor’s Statement
Alindajao:
“I don't have a whole lot to say other than it's been my honor and my privilege to serve the community of Delano, my colleagues and the city staff for the past 12 months. It goes by really, really fast, believe me. Um, I felt like we, we made a lot of progress this year. It was a lot of peace on the council. Um, I had the pleasure of working with staff on issues that, uh, you know, important issues like public safety, um, housing, uh, job develop, job and economic development, and other important issues that face the city. I hope that my pleasure, uh, working with council and, and, and staff was equally or mutually, uh, pleasurable for them as well in terms of working together as the mayor.
Um, and, uh, it's been, it's been just been an honor and a pleasure. You know, it's been, uh, I I believe wholly that when you get in positions like either the city council or mayor or vice mayor, that I hope that we leverage these positions to encourage and to uplift the spirit of our community in whatever manner we can. You know, so many people really look up to, especially our young kids, high school and elementary, look up to these positions like council member and mayor and vice mayor. And I hope we can leverage those positions to really inspire and help and encourage our community and our staff, uh, to do the best job we can for our community. And that's why I think that's part of the reason why I think Delano is such a special community.” 2) Presentation of Plaque(s):
Solorio-Ruiz
“Well, um, for starters, I'm, I'm honored to provide this to you. Um, I think, uh, thinking about what to say tonight, uh, in terms of your time as mayor, I think one thing that always sticks out whenever I call Mayor Alindajao, whenever I've spoken to him, is that, uh, it, it's about the bigger picture here. He's always talking about Delano and bringing it back to Delano. It's never about him. And I think in, in, in this, you know, field, uh, we have a lot of folks out there that it's all about me, right? And I think, uh, Joe, uh, I, I consider you a friend and I think that the work that you've done this past year has been good. Um, and, uh, it's always, we always need to thank folks when they are wanting to serve, when they're wanting to give back to their community. And so, uh, on behalf of the city of Delano, on behalf of myself as an individual, I thank you. Um, and, uh, congratulations real quick. This states, uh, presented to Joe Alindajao in recognition of your service on the city council serving as mayor of the city of Delano from 2022 to 2023.”
Nunez
“It's been an honor. You as being mayor, I, I've know I’ve leaned on you quite a bit, as much as I have on staff, you know, being the new guy. And, um, I, I feel that we're moving in the right direction, and we need to keep moving in that direction”
Morris
“Congratulations Mayor Alindajao, how, um, it has been an honor to, to serve, uh, for you to serve as our mayor.
And, um, uh, I, you know, things have run really smooth this year, and so, uh, I, uh, really appreciate, you know, the hard work that you've done to accomplish a lot for this community. Thank you so much.” Vasquez
“Yes, thank you so much for your time this year. We really appreciate it.” 3) Election of Mayor
Alindajao
“I'm going to now invite public comment on this item. I'm going to limit public comment to 40 minutes, three minutes per speaker.”
1. Alexis Ortiz, 10th Avenue – “I feel like the mayorship is a position that should be held by, by those who deserve it and not those who want it. The position a mayor has traditionally been transferred to the Vice Mayor. And as we know that, as we know that tradition had changed in 2020. Now the tradition of mayorship is going, has the tradition, has the opportunity to come back to the vice mayor. And we can start up that, that tradition again. The current vice mayor has done so much for the city from back to school distributions, dog adoption events, food distributions, and annual, and the annual toy drives for Christmas.
He has not just done good for the people of the city, but also with the council. Putting ego aside in order to make a difference in Delano. I believe Salvador is deserving of a turn at the mayorship because of his commitment to the community and dedication to local issues. I believe he'll make Delano a city that works for everyone. Thank you, council member and thank you community.”
2. Saul Ayon, Mayor City of McFarland – “Good evening, honor. Mayor, esteemed council members, distinguished guest. My name is Saul Ayon. I'm the mayor of the city of McFarland. It is with great pleasure and deep sense of responsibility that I stand before you today to advocate for the extension of Mayor Alindajao. How, uh, stand here for two more years. This endorsement is rooted in our shared achievements. Over the past years, our cities have undergone remarkable progress, uh, positive transformation. I firm, I firmly believe that extending the term for two additional years is the best interest of both communities. I've had the privilege of working closely with Mayor Alindajao on various projects during his current term. It has been incredibly rewarding experience. Together we tackle challenges head on, implemented in in initiative, uh, solutions like a joint public, uh, safety task force, and emergency response initiatives, and witness tangible benefits in our collaborative efforts. These outcomes have made significant difference in our lives of our residents. One of the hallmarks of Mayor Alindajao tenure is a commitment to fostering unity within our communities. This has been achieved through a series of town hall meetings. Numerous conversations between Mayor Alindajao, myself. Our joint efforts have been instrumental in ensuring that the voices of our residents are not only heard, but actively considering our decision making process. This exclusivity has not only strengthened our sense of community, but also resulted in one well-rounded and effective policies. Furthermore, under Mayor Alindajao guidance, our partnership has only, not only, uh, experienced significant progress, but it has strengthened our partnership with our police department, emergency services and community, the close proximity of our cities that has been leveraged not only by the enhanced public safety, but also to effectively respond to emergencies, ensuring the wellbeing and security of our communities. An example of the collaborate ca calibration was evident during our emergency flooding in McFarland this past March. Mayor Alindajao and the council's assistance was instrumental in gathering the necessary resources and planning effectively mitigation to impact our residents, his swift coordinated response and true leadership and concern for our community's welfare, going beyond the call of duty to support a city in a time of great need. In addition, his vision and proactive approach to bring and install the LPR cameras for both cities to combat crime has been affected too, to prevent ongoing violence between both neighboring cities our calibration. Not only initiatives have only been yielding positive results, but also to set the state's continue improvement for years to come. In conclusion, I endorsed an extension of the mayor's term for additional two years. This success we have achieved together are only a testament of his leadership, dedication, ability to bring a positive change under stable leadership. We hope to continue to foster the beneficial relationship and explore other avenues where we can partner to better serve our communities. Allowing Mayor Alindajao, the opportunity to finish good work that has started is imperative for continued progress, safety and prosperity for our belief cities. Together we can build an even be, uh, brighter future for both cities. Thank you.”
3. Danny Sanchez (Via Zoom) – “I would like to first congratulate the, uh, the council for finally pulling the trigger and terminating that leech of a chief that was milking the city of Delano for almost two years.
Hopefully no other, no other city in Kern County or in California, makes it the same mistake in hiring him again for Chief. Uh, it was obvious that the job was too big for him to handle. Now, as far as the, uh, the mayor, um, I understand that Mayor Joe Alindajao is the current mayor and has only been the mayor for one year. Um, what I do not understand is how the position for mayor in Delano can only last for one year.
How do you guys plan to evaluate his performance or anyone else's performance? if they only serve one year, um, even, even that corrupt ex-chief got more time than Joe Alindajao. Um, every other city in Kern County has a mayor term set for either two or four years. I think that Mr. Alindajao should continue as mayor, so that we could all evaluate his performance at least after two years. Um, you have other members of, of this council who have clearly shown they have no interest in being mayor. This past Saturday, two of your council members paraded in Lamont for the position of county supervisor. Everyone wants David Couch's job. There is nothing wrong with that. They are, they, they are interested in greener pastures on a payday, and that's okay. Um, I don't think that either, either, either of these two persons should consider themselves for mayor at this point. Um, I don't think that any council member should be allowed to vote for themselves. I think that the council needs to reevaluate how they select the mayor in the future. I suggest you seek a two or four year and leave it to this, to the Delano voters, uh, to decide who should have the title as mayor in the future. Um, for now, I suggest that you guys keep, uh, Mr. Alindajao how in the position, and let us see how he continues to perform. At this point, I'm content with his service. You have all gave him credit. I mean, you heard, uh, um, the mayor, from what I've seen as far as Saul Ayon , he's a man of credibility. Um, he, um, he is a rising star in the Kern County as a politic, as a politician. Um, pray that he doesn't decide to run for county supervisor one day, um, because he will then leave, uh, McFarland unguarded, um, from the leaches and the weasels that are waiting for him to leave. Um, again, um, consider seeking an appropriate candidate for, for, uh, for county count, uh, supervisor in the future. It seems like everyone wants to throw their name in the hat these days. Um, you will split the vote again, like, like it happened last time. Learn from that lesson. Greed is one of the main ingredients in politics these days. Do it to improve our community and empower our culture. Do it with integrity and pride. Thank you.”
4. Maria Martinez, 1215 Lexington Street – “I just wanna say all you here, some of you are I like friends, some are not. I am a woman of age. You can see here, there's no field workers here on the ground. Because they're afraid of the mayor because the assistant of the district attorney. And there's some that can't say anything. 'cause they're afraid as, for example, like at the, I've heard of things, but I can't say anything like an example that the, uh, veterans parade. He's saying that she would like for the opportunity for a woman to be step up and become mayor. Like Veronica Vasquez, she's been here, she's worked in the fields for 15 years, and they helped her. She learned, they gave her education, they helped her. She would like the same for another woman to step up. Speaker When I worked in the fields, I didn't know anything. So somebody that I couldn't find job because I didn't know how to pick grapes. But there was a person who believed in me, and that's what I, I, I last 15 years picking grapes. So I, I wish you could think about it to give a opportunity of Veronica Vasquez to be the next mayor. Thank you.”
5. Cristian Cerda Cortez (Via Zoom)- “Good afternoon council and honorable Mayor. I'm attending tonight's meeting, uh, because I would like to express my support for Vice Mayor's Salvador Solorio-Ruiz for mayor. He has shown his dedication to our community welfare, and has an extensive track record of public service. He has actively engaged with residents and has addressed our local concerns. His vision for Delano will lead our community to a more prosperous future. About two years ago, Salvador took a chance on me, a 16-year-old student at Delano High School. Now, I'm an undergraduate student at the number one public university in the country here at UCLA. And I'm confident in saying that I would not be in the position that I am today, A student at UCLA and somebody who wants to practice law in the future without the help of Salvador. He has helped me tremendously, and I'm very grateful for the chance that he took on me. And so to the city council, like Sal Salvador took a chance on me. I would like for you to take a chance on him and vote for him to be our next mayor. Thank you.”
6. Yolanda Vega, 1803 Terrace Place – “I have a few things I'd like to say. Back in 2020, there was an incident where you were mayor, you were overlooked at that time. And I recall that you made a, a statement indicating that it was your time, and that you wanted that position. Not only did, was it a big deal, Delano Life, Delano. Now everyone made a big story about it. Here you sit asking for a second term along with these people here. I think everybody has done exemplary work throughout the years that they've sat on this diocese. I think everybody volunteers, everybody contributes to the community. I think that it is only, in all fairness, the same way you wanted this position and you felt you were overlooked. I think it's very important that you guys take a look at Veronica Vasquez, because she was in that vice mayor position as well. And at that time, there were several people who decided that it wasn't in the best interest to vote her in as mayor. I think she's done exemplary work in the community. She volunteers. She not only contributes to the community she's made, she's been a voice for our senior community. And council members have reached out to her for assistance on many, many projects. I think it's, it's important that everybody continue the rotation. And at a later time, maybe you guys should consider a two-year term, or as the grand jury suggested that the community vote for the mayor, I think it's imperative that you guys take that into consideration and work on that as the grand jury has suggested. Thank you.”
7. Assembly Woman Dr. Bains – “I, um, am so, so excited to be back home. I've been out on a little vacay for a little bit. I'll be back in the clinic here in Delano next week. Um, excited to be home. Um, first of all, I wanted to thank every single one of you guys for the work that you guys do. Um, the work is not easy. I can attest to that. Um, it is a very difficult position that you guys are in, but thank you for making your guys, your yourselves available to the public. Um, holding up high esteem of morals and ethics for our public as well. But most, for first and foremost, thank you Mayor Alindajao, for all of your work as mayor, you have done such an extreme job. Um, not only connecting with my office and the work that we've done in Delano, um, but every single one of you guys have done such a great job. We have been able to deliver for Delano in so many different ways. I look forward to continuing to fight for this community, my home that I grew up in. I, I, you know, would like to continue working with you, Mayor Alindajao in another year as well. I would love to see the more and more work to be developed, not for ourselves personally, but for the community that we all call home, which is Delano. So thank you very much.”
8. Lupe Martinez, 1215 Lexington – “Couple of things. I first wanna agree with Ms. Vega, who everything that she said has pretty much been the case. And, uh, the case for a long, long time with a council member.
Uh, and the way it's always been, it's the rotational. But I've always said this, it all depends on who has the power in order for you guys to decide who is who. And that has got to stop. It's not about who has the power up there, it's about what is fair. You know, what's the opportunity for folks to be able to learn, to become. And nothing wrong with looking for other greener pastures and other horizons. It's okay. Um, I don't think that's a, that's a, uh, a problem. It's more of a development. And we certainly want our folks in Delano to grow and to be as strong as possible for the community. At some point, I do hope, and I will work as hard as I can also, that the mayorship doesn't continue within the powers of the council members.
That the community should be the number one voice. Who is the mayor. That's what we've gotta work on.
And not only on that, we've gotta work on the district. Each district should have their representative. And I think those are the things that we need to work on. There has been some mandate already, and I think we need to figure out that on the districts. But I think the mayorship is another one that we need to, to look at.
If anybody has a voice, should be the community. No outsiders, no one else. And because they're friends, and because everything else should be the community. So at this point, I do think that it's only proper, and not only proper and not because of friendships. And there's a lot of hate out there. You know, who does, who doesn't. But I think it should be Veronica Vasquez. I think she's earned it. She has shown her leadership. She has maintained whether there's a division in the, in, in the, uh, council members or not. I mean, she's maintained herself to be pretty much with her values set. And so, in my opinion and my suggestion, and if I had a vote, I would certainly vote for Veronica Vasquez for the mayor. I think Mr.
Alindajao you've had your chance, and everyone has had, with the exception of Mr. Nunez, um, who hopefully, you know, will get to that point, um, to be the mayor. Also. Thank you for my words. I have a tendency to get away. Thanks.”
9. City Clerk Garcia read a letter for the record – “The letter states, dear Mayor, council members and city staff, I've had the pleasure of getting to know and working with Mayor Joe Alindajao for the last few years. I have found him to be professional, diligent, and an excellent representative of the city of Delano. I believe that the county of Kern and the city of Delano have an excellent working relationship at the council level and at the staff level, that is in no small part, due to the excellent leadership provided by Mayor Alindajao. I know you are considering the appointment of a Mayor tonight and understand that this is a council decision. I just want you to know that Mayor Alindajao has, in my view, done an excellent job.
Sincerely, David Couch, Kern County District 4 Supervisor.”
10. Pastor Anthony Cortez, 282 Shell Beach Court – “I just wanted to, uh, come on up and just voice my opinion and, uh, to, uh, say that I'm really glad that, uh, mayor Alindajao has done what he's done, uh, for this city council this last year. Um, I'm really, really pleased that, uh, you weren't up there sitting in that chair endorsing certain bills from our state capital as what was done in the past. And some of those meetings, some of those bills were controversial, and our meetings went, and sometimes anywhere from three to five hours long because of these bills. And I, I wanna thank you for that because you have, uh, just, uh, just took care of city business. All of you have have done that. And, and it's because of your leadership that that has happened. And so I endorse you. I would, you know, if I can vote for you, I would vote for you.
I think you're doing a great job just listening to the mayor for McFarland. Um, listening to what has happened between both our cities is, um, amazing to hear because, uh, those are things that I don't see or none of us see a whole lot of. So I'm just, uh, very grateful for that. Um, as far as dedication, I heard the word dedication, uh, mentioned. Um, you know, I am, I, I said this on the last meeting, that, um, I would love to have individuals running for city council that live in our community and are gonna stay in our community. There's nothing wrong with advancing your political careers, but if I, like I said last time, if I voted for certain people here, and then they, uh, use this city as a stepping stool to, um, go and advance their political careers, that does not sound like dedication for the city of Delano. And so I see individuals up here, few individuals that are dedicated to the city, always been to the city, live in the city, grew up in the city, and are concerned for this city. And, um, I just want to, uh, just voice my, my opinion in that, or those future, uh, city council, uh, individuals that wanna seek a city council. Who knows? I may go one day, I may go and become a city council member. I don't know. But, um, you know, uh, I'm dedicated to this community. This is my hometown. I was born and raised here. And, um, we are growing fast, but we're still a family. We're still a, a community that cares for one another. And that's what we need on our city council, uh, on our city council, people that care. And, uh, I just wanna say one more thing before they cut me off. Is that one day I asked you for 30 more seconds and you told me no, that's, and I'm like, okay, cool. So I like that. I really like that, that you did that.”
11. Pastor David Vivas – “I just wanna say that, uh, first of all, thank you, uh, teaching every one of you for your service and dedication, uh, to this community. Um, in all fairness to Mayor Alindajao, um, mayor Alindajao, field workers are not afraid of you. I just wanna say that right now. That's not the way they feel.
That's the opinion. But that is not the way our field workers feel at all. And, uh, just ask your fellow council members if they agree that field workers are afraid of him because he's a DA. Uh, I don't believe that any of our city council members, I don't believe our city staff would agree with that. And then also, you're not, I didn't hear you one time asking to for another year. It's actually your constituents, elected officials that are saying, you're doing a great job and you are doing a, an excellent job, and you have set a precedence to get city business done. I've seen you attacked, verbally attacked, criticized, harshly criticized condescended character assassinated, um, set.”
(Disruptions in the Audience)
Mayor Alindajao - “Order please. Hold on. Pastor Vivas, please do not interrupt the meeting, Ms.
Vega. Please do not, please do not interrupt the meeting. This is your warning. I'll have you removed if you keep interrupting the meeting. I'm sorry, pastor, go ahead.” “I complimented everyone, which, which, you know, everyone, because every single one of you have contributed to our city. So that's a compliment. Paint a compliment, everyone. But I will stand up for any of our council members that is, um, criticized and things are said against them that is not true. And that, that goes, you know why? 'cause every single one of you represents me. Okay? So I, I will always stand up for you, even if I disagree with you. I will always stand up for you. If something, uh, is said about you that is untrue, we can disagree. But at the end of the day, we still live in the same community working for the same cause for, for, and we have a great community. It's growing, it's doing very well. But, uh, mayor Alindajao did not ask for a second, um, for another year. It's, it's a constituents, it's people that are asking for that.
It's, it's elected officials. And so I like the fact that, um, he maintains, he maintains, um, proper decorum.
And, uh, even when I've seen the city council be in strong disagreement with one, with one another, it's never personal. I've seen him work with different council members here that he's had disagreements with, and at the end of the day, he doesn't hold a grudge. He works very well. So I believe that he should be given another term. But again, thank you all council members for serving us your constituents in this community.
Thank you.”
12. Gina Martinez, 1409 10th Avenue – “I've been really quiet back here. But I will tell you right now that, uh, whatever the previous person said, um, well, we gotta respect him. We gotta listen to him. But he probably wasn't there at my reunion when, uh, mayor said that it was bad for elections in December. And I'm sorry, I gotta call it out the way it is. I was told by you that the mayorship was not anything important.
That it was just a title that you can't do anything with it. I will tell you right now, that's not what you told me in December. That's all I have to say. And I think that we should honor the rotation. You wanted it for a long time. You asked for it, so let's do it. There's a lot of stuff that Veronica Vasquez does not do, that it's be, that is behind the scenes that nobody knows of. Like, she gives up all her check whatever she gets here, being on council, she donates all kinds of stuff that no, she doesn't go to galas, she doesn't get dressed up.
She doesn't do a lot of stuff that is in pictures. Very simple, very laid back. Yeah, like we say, there's a lot of smear campaigns and stuff like that. And apparently a lot of people knew what they were doing because they knew that this was gonna be coming up pretty soon in the future. I just thought I'd have to share that, because that's a conversation we had. Thank you.”
13. Francisco Martinez, 7136 Wildfire, Bakersfield (Via Zoom) – “I am a coworker of Veronica Vasquez.
We are both CPS Social service worker. And let me just tell you, CPS social service worker I work with, they're heroes. I just can't imagine some of the cases, some of the things we have to deal with. And, uh, yeah. And, uh, Veronica is the top social worker, social social worker that I know of. They, she's given cases that, uh, basically attorneys, county attorneys, uh, probably, uh, assistant director, uh, directors, she'll give a, uh, basically, uh, the synopsis what needs to be done. Obviously they have to take it up to heads and goes for a couple days and it comes back and it goes with what she recommended. That's how, uh, that's how great of a worker she was. She puts this same type of effort on dealing with issues in the c in the community. Hmm. I just wanna bring up something 'cause I like looking at numbers and stats and there's, uh, the one number I wanna throw out there, 4,432. If none of you recognize that, that is the number of votes Veronica, uh, received when she got voted in City council. I've looked at all the statistics in the city, uh, Delano going back 23 years. That is the most votes any city council person has ever received.
And if that's not a mandate, I mean, I don't know what is 4,432? I've looked at every city council, the top getter since back to 2000. That's the most ever. Um, and also she's a, since she's a CPS social service worker, she is most, uh, aware of the issues, uh, of confronting the most marginalized in our community, especially in Delano. Uh, so she's on top of the issues about affordable housing, about issues on, on the water, mental health. So, um, her experience as a social service worker having, uh, addressed the issues are most marginalized, um, basically, uh, will help those, the most marginalized Delano have a voice. Um, I really apologize. I couldn't make it there. Time. Um, a social worker, I don't know how she makes it to the city council meeting. It's just, it blows me away how she can get her work done to get there. I try my best.
So anyways, just remember that 4,432 most votes ever since, since 2000. I've looking at the election records that of any city Council member. Thank you for your time.”
14. Larry Smith, 914 Alhambra Ave., - “I'm not here to endorse anyone. Mayor, council member, vice Mayor. Um, I'm not here to endorse anyone. I just wanna say that, uh, I've served in the community for a lot of years. Chamber of Commerce, multiple different organizations. But you guys, when it comes up that, uh, we're, we're changing mayors every year, I think, obviously, like it's been said before, every two to four years. 'cause it's hard to judge progress off of one year. Um, but your character speaks for itself. When I take my daughter to a 5K on Thanksgiving morning and the mayor's there, and he wasn't there with cameras and press, he's there with his family supporting his community. Um, that says a lot about his character. So I just wanted to share that with you guys. Thank you.”
15. Gloria Herrera, “I do think that in the future, uh, we should elect the mayor by the people, because right now it's too much division going around. Um, that's, council should work in accordance for the good of the community and not for themselves, or getting a good credit through friendship. Because right now, council members are like playing hot potatoes. Uh, remember it should be by for the community. Uh, and I do believe that Delano is growing already too much. And I think in the future we should talk about, uh, making it into Prince and elect the mayor by the people I being thinking about that. It's been a back years, probably five years, four years ago that we were talking about actually electing the mayor by the people.
Not like they doing it right now because they have the mayor, pro mayor, but it doesn't work that way.
Everybody should have a chance. They go and the order is going. So accept it. Accept it that way. It's going not okay just because my friend, I'm gonna vote for this one. Or, or because we get along. Okay. Uh, I think it should, everybody should take their turn. I, if I see a mayor doing a good work for the community, good.
But in the past, the council had made the rules. There's mayor for mayor, and I understand it's supposed to work that way, but it's been a few years that they decided to change it or not. You. It's gonna be who I want.
And if the council has the vote, that one, the, whoever suggested, the other three are in accordance. That one's gonna be not the one that's supposed to be the mayor. Thank you.” Public comment closed.
Morris – “We hold a lot of, of weight on, on the mayor, okay? It's only a title. The mayorship, you know, for this community is strictly ceremonial. That means that he runs this meeting and he is the ribbon cutter. You know, he goes to the openings and, and, and whenever proclamations need to be read, then he's there to do that. Each one of us has the same power as the mayor. You may not have a title as the mayor, but all of us can get as involved or uninvolved as we want to. If we have projects that we want to press forward, then each of us have that opportunity to do that or to come forward with that. You know, we hire a city manager, you know, to run the city, you know, so the mayor does not run the city, okay? So, uh, I don't know what everybody thinks that, uh, that he pulls, you know, that much more weight than anybody else in this council here. And, um, so I don't know if you have a misconception of that or what you think, you know, that mayorship, but, but each one of us, you know, we can serve as the mayor, the the mayor, pro Tem or councilman. But, you know, Veronica's vote is one Mario's one vote, Joe's one vote, Sal's one vote. I'm one vote. Okay? And that's how it goes. And like I said, any of us can get as involved as we want to.
And if we have projects we want to push forward, then we have that opportunity, you know, to do that. And so I just wanted to clarify that, you know, before we get this meeting.” Solorio-Ruiz – “First off, I want to thank everyone for providing their public comment. Um, I think it's always important to get public in input, input on, uh, especially on situations like this on decisions. But I, I wanna start, um, by sharing, uh, what an interesting development. These changes, these changing of the guard meetings have become for me, from what I saw years ago and heard from residents, these meetings were swift and received with little to no input from residents. A few years ago, we noticed a shift to where the public is more engaged with this process and as they should be rightfully so. But as I shared, it has been an interesting development. While others say it's inconsistent, while before there was little opportunity to explain your decisions for who will be the next mayor or vice mayor, we now have that opportunity. So tonight, it is about decisions. And I wanna share my decision making process with all of you. When I make decisions on this dais, ultimately I ask myself, is this fair? And is this merited tonight in front of us? I hope we can do just that. We should be making our decision based on fairness and merit on who the next appointed mayor will be, rather than on this arbitrary process that has been consistently noted. To backtrack a little while running for city council, the goal is not to become the next mayor or vice mayor, but to serve our community with the utmost integrity in Delano serving as mayor is one possible experience in one's full term.
And it has been tradition that those who have been a vice mayor will become the next mayor. With tonight closing, uh, closing on my time as Vice Mayor, I would just like to share several of my accomplishments in partnership with city staff for this year. We held our first day of remembrance for the life of Cesar Chavez. We held two dog adoption events. We coordinated a back to school event where we distributed over 400 backpacks and provided free haircuts to Delano students. I sparked the idea of coordinating the gun gun buyback program where a Delano PD collected over 20 weapons. We hosted a career in resource fair, and we are finishing off this year strong, hopefully, with a, uh, a toy drive for, for our Delano youth. You see, as, as Councilwoman Morris mentioned, a council member can decide how much they want to be involved in the community. No position title limits you, but in my opinion tonight we should be voting for new leadership. Tonight we have, uh, an opportunity to choose a council member who has served as Vice Mayor. Council member Vasquez and I are entering our fourth year on the council, and we have put in work. I truly believe Council member Vasquez cares deeply about Delano. So that is why tonight I will be supporting her. One would ask, why are you also advocating for someone else other than yourself? It goes back to my opening remarks, regardless of my differences with Council member Vasquez, I understand that this is much bigger than myself. It's about fairness. Tonight we have an opportunity to lead with trust, fairness, and integrity for the office that we hold. We should not lead with fears, worries, or what ifs, but trust the process and the very same people that were elected by the people. Let me remind you to close. I would like to remind us of the words of our very own mayor, Alindajao, uh, in 2021. And I quote, the mayorship is not a game of keep away, where the majority keeps the mayorship away from those that do not like or agree with other members of the city council. The mayorship is a much higher office than that, and the council should be more dignified than that. Thank you. And with that, I have a motion to make.”
Vasquez – “I have a lot to say. Um, I really appreciate the discussion. Um, and my thank yous are going to the voters because I know that I have the most votes regardless of what decision is made today. The community has already spoken, so nobody can take that away from me until the next election. And somebody beats my numbers. But I have the most numbers right now. And regardless of I get the mayor or not, I've already been at the odds. I'm a Latina. That's 9% of being on city council. And nobody can take that away from me. That's something that I earned.
And I will continue to work hard for my community in my everyday Monday through Friday job and in the city council. And I do attend events, and I am behind the scenes a lot. I was at that five KI was volunteering, got there at 6:30. But you don't see me because a lot of times I'm behind the scenes, I'm quiet. And I like to keep it that way sometimes, because I don't wanna be known as a politician. That's all about pictures. I know my numbers, I know my stats, and I know my work. And nobody, regardless of today's decision, will take that away from me. 'cause at to day, as a Latina woman, a woman of color, I have the most numbers to be sitting up here. And I am proud of it because it's my family and my friends and the community that made that happen. So if I don't get mayor today, you're not cheating me. You're cheating the community. You're cheating women of color and you're cheating a Latina. That's what will happen if I don't get chosen, but me. I got the numbers. And nobody can take that away from me. And you don't hear me up here begging. 'cause I'm not going to. Why? Because I've already earned it. Even if you don't give it to me. Thank you.”
Nunez – “All I have to say is I do agree with Mrs. Vega and Mr. Martinez and Mrs. Herrera. This mayorship should be going to the voters. And I challenge this council 'cause we will all be on here for a year, and we have a year to make our mind up and get this on the ballot. Um, or maybe not this time around, but next time around that house, this needs to be handled. A bunch of popular decisions are gonna be made tonight or unpopular decisions. But take in mind that my thought tonight is Delano first. And I'm worried about Delano first, not about anything else, but a decision to keep Delano moving in the right direction. That will be based on my decision tonight.” Alindajao – “I don't have a whole lot to add to that other than I agree with some of the public comments that this is a decision that should be in the hands of the community. In fact, in late summer of this year, I had approached a few council members about putting it on the ballot. And they did, at that time, did not have the appetite to put it on the ballot. But I've been talking about putting the mayorship, first of all. Number one, I think one year is sufficiently to small. But number in terms of, uh, serving, I, I don't believe any other city in the county. Um, some of you guys can fact check me in that, but I don't believe any other city in the county has a one year term other than Delano. I think most cities are two and four year terms. So first of all, I think one year is wholly insufficient. Number two, um, I think this is a decision that should be out of the hands of people that are not interested in the job. That makes sense, right? We shouldn't be making, it's kind of like having the fox guard, the henhouse. Um, it just doesn't work. So I, regardless of how it all turns out, I will be moving this council to put the mayorship on the ballot at some point, uh, in January or February of this year.”
Motion was made by: Solorio-Ruiz to nominate Vasquez
2nd by: Vasquez
Vote: 3-2 (Motion Fails)
Ayes: Solorio-Ruiz/Vasquez
Nays: Alindajao / Morris / Nunez
Absent: None
Abstentions: None
Motion was made by: Morris to nominate Solorio-Ruiz
2nd by: Solorio-Ruiz
Vote: 3-2 (Motion Fails)
Ayes: Morris / Solorio-Ruiz
Nays: Alindajao / Nunez / Vasquez
Absent: None
Abstentions: None
Motion was made by: Nunez to nominate Alindajao
2nd by: Alindajao
Vote: 3-2 (Motion Passes)
Ayes: Alindajao / Nunez / Morris
Nays: Solorio-Ruiz / Vasquez
Absent: None
Abstentions: None
4) Election of Mayor Pro Tem
Public Comment.
No Comments
Closed Public Comment.
Motion was made by: Nunez to nominate Morris
2nd by: Alindajao
Vote: 4-1 (Motion Passes)
Ayes: Alindajao / Morris / Nunez / Solorio-Ruiz
Nays: Vasquez
Absent: None
Abstentions: None
5) Council Member’s Statements
Solorio-Ruiz – “I want to, first off, I wanna say, uh, you know, it is what it is, right? Uh, I think the work of the people still continues. Um, and, uh, I think that, you know, one point to just make that, you know, I think before in 2020 or 2021, I believe Mayor Alindajao stated that it was politically expedient for then Brian Osorio to become the next mayor. But potentially our own very mayor might run for Senate. So it might be politically expedient for our very own mayor to, to, for him to become mayor. So I just wanted, I just wanted to say that. Um, but I think that after tonight, you know, we'll get back on track and we'll, we'll focus on the city. Thank you.” Vasquez – “I forgot to mention earlier everybody said that the meetings ran smooth and they were giving credit to Joe Alindajao, how that's not why the meetings ran smooth. The reading, the meetings ran smooth because I didn't throw a tantrum. I didn't throw a tantrum last time. I didn't get mayor, and I'm not gonna throw a tantrum this time.
That's why the meetings ran smooth, because I took it even though I got cheated. And that's okay because you guys all saw that. You guys all know the numbers. But meetings will still go smooth because I won't be throwing a tantrum. Thank you.”
Nunez – “Let's just get back to work and move forward.” Morris – “I totally agree. Uh, first of all, let me congratulate Mayor Alindajao, how, and, um, and thank you, um, council members for your support on the Vice mayorship. Um, I want to thank all of my colleagues. I think you guys all done a tremendous job in helping this city to grow. And I think all of you have seen that evidence and how fast our city, our community is growing and, um, you know, we are, um, continually working to make this a better city and community for all of us. Um, and like I said, we continue to, we continue to work together. All of us have projects that we want to, to, um, to see come through and, and we want to, um, you know, support, you know, those people that, uh, and businesses that, you know, come into our community, um, because, you know, their successes are our successes as a city. So, um, thank you all.”
Alindajao – “I just wanna thank everyone who supported the extension of my mayorship and those that didn't. I hope to earn your confidence and your trust over the next coming year. And believe me, it'll go fast. So you won't have to tolerate me for very long, but it'll be one more year, uh, 12 simple months. But I hope to continue to run fair and good. And, you know, efficient meetings, not just for the benefit of the public, but for the benefit of our city staff.
I hope to continue to do work on some of the projects that I've started. Um, beautification projects for the city. Um, I can't, trying to think off the top of my head. Some of the projects that I've been working on with city staff and some of my colleagues updating the new vending laws, um, cracking down on illegal vendors, um, on, uh, these illegal motor scooters. I know we're now, we've received the, uh, traffic safety grant, adding more flock cameras. I know our crime statistics are, are down at least in one particular category, stolen vehicles by up to 50%. So there's a lot of work that we're doing. We're helping build a fence for the fire. I see the fire department here represented. We're building the new fence for the fire department. It's long overdue. It's probably the only, uh, current county fire station that is not fenced, probably in the entire county. Um, so little projects like little projects and big projects like that, that I care about that I'm, I'm putting my hand to, and hopefully I can help, um, speed the process in some situations. But, so thank you to my colleagues. Thank you to, uh, those who spoke on my behalf, those that spoke against me. I hope to earn your, your respect in the future. Now, there were a couple of comments that I, I took a little bit exception to, um, only because, uh, I wanna explain to the public what happens behind the scenes. Um, I know that there was some, someone brought up a public comment about the fact that, you know, we try to run efficient meetings here. And I try to be fair and even handed when it comes to, um, the agenda and things that city business that gets, um, you know, processed through either the agenda or city council meeting. Uh, last year, I think it was last year, Vivian's not in the audience today, but Shannon Grove, who I consider a friend, uh, came to me, uh, one, one summer, or, yeah, it was, uh, I think it was a, a, a mad run or mad walking Bakersfield. She said, Hey, there's a bill making, uh, human trafficking a strike, a serious or violent felony. Would you support it? Well, you're speaking to a prosecutor who's dedicated their life to public safety and to make human trafficking a serious or violent felony is, is important, is important to me. And she said, would you put it on the agenda so that we can, we, we can have, you know, the, the support of the, of the city council? I said, no, I cannot do that, because that's not part of what, what the business of the city is. Also, um, there was some comment, a public comment about the fact that farm workers are afraid of me. Um, that's not true either. Um, Ms. Yesenia, who is in the business of informing and educating domestic violence victims, uh, migrant workers, female migrant workers, who are, uh, domestic violence victims, um, has invited me to numerous, uh, events that I'm going to. In fact, I'm going to speak to some of the migrant workers regarding domestic violence and what the, uh, DA's office can do to help, uh, victims of domestic violence. So to say that they're somehow afraid because I'm a district attorney, I'm there to help victims and I dedicated my whole life to doing that. And with that, um, thank you very much and I think we'll take about a 10 minute recess as we transition to the regular agenda of tonight's, uh, regular council meeting. Thank you.”
ADJOURNMENT
Moved by Solorio Ruiz seconded by Nunez and unanimously carried 5-0 to adjourn the meeting at 6:38p.m. _____________________________________________
Nancy. Garcia, City Clerk