MEETING MINUTES
The City Council/Successor Agency of the City of Firebaugh Vol. No. 26-01-05
Location of Meeting: Andrew Firebaugh Community Center
1655 13th Street, Firebaugh, CA 93622
Date/Time: January 5, 2026/5:30 p.m.
CALL TO ORDER Meeting was called to order by Mayor Valdez at 5:30 p.m.
ROLL CALL Mayor Freddy Valdez
Mayor Pro Temp Silvia Renteria
Council Member Brady Jenkins
Council Member Felipe Perez
Council Member Elsa Lopez
ABSENT
OTHERS: City Attorney Christina D. Smith; City Manager, Ben Gallegos; Deputy City Clerk, Rita Lozano; Finance Director, Pio Martin; Interim Police Chief, Magda Martinez; Public Works Director, Michael Molina; Battalion Chief, Hector Marin; City Engineer, Mario Gouviea; John Patlan, Paige, Melanie Martinez, Mayra Arana, & others.
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE Mayor Valdez led the Pledge of Allegiance.
APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA
Motion to approve the agenda by Council Member Jenkins, seconded by Council Member Perez, motion passed by a 5-0 vote.
PRESENTATION
Lupe Ruiz provided the Invocation
PUBLIC COMMENT
Ms. Wendy Ozburn, a veteran and community advocate, addressed the Council regarding concerns about her experience with alleged landlord violations and a lack of police action. She stated that she filed formal complaints against a Reserve Sergeant and the Police Chief, citing delayed and inadequate responses, including a 64-day wait for a police report and a 92-day wait for an internal affairs investigation, which she felt were not properly addressed. Ms. Ozburn expressed concerns about potential bias and selective enforcement and stated that the situation has impacted her trust in law enforcement and local government. She noted that she has since filed a civil lawsuit and urged the City Council to consider implementing clearer, more transparent, and more timely procedures for handling resident complaints.
Stephanie Gonzalez thanked, on behalf of the Madrid Family, their sheer gratitude to the City Police, Fire, and EMS personnel for their care, professionalism, and compassion during the emergency call for our Dad, Lorenzo Madrid. Although we are grieving his passing, we are thankful for the life-saving efforts on his behalf. It was incredibly comforting to see familiar faces tending to our dad in his time of need. The crew's presence, dedication, and continued care meant more to our family than words can truly express. We are fortunate to live in a community that is served by a devoted Fire Department and EMS department. Please know how grateful we are, and we ask that our thanks be shared with your entire crew. Thank you all for your service.
CONSENT CALENDAR
1. APPROVAL OF MINUTES – Meeting Minutes from December 15, 2025.
Motion to approve Consent Calendar by Council Member Jenkins, seconded by Council Member Perez, motion passed by a 5-0 vote.
City Council Minutes
January 5, 2026
PUBLIC HEARING
2. ORDINANCE NO. 25-04 - AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FIREBAUGH, CALIFORNIA, AMENDING CHAPTER 16.5 OF THE FIREBAUGH MUNICIPAL CODE REGARDING PUBLIC NUISANCE ABATEMENT – FIRST READING.
Opening hearing at 5:39 pm – comment: Stephanie Gonzales, a vacant-lot owner, expressed support for the ordinance’s goal of maintaining safe and clean neighborhoods. She emphasized the need for clarity, consistency, and transparency in enforcement and compliance processes. Key Recommendations: 1) Maintenance Checklist: Provide a plain-language checklist during vacant-lot registration to translate ordinance standards into practical guidance (e.g., vegetation height, debris thresholds, brush removal timelines). 2) Objective Definitions: Establish clear definitions and visual examples for terms like ‘weeds' and ‘trash’ to reduce subjectivity in enforcement. 3) Inspection Transparency: Share general information on inspection frequency to help property owners plan maintenance proactively. 4) Registration Reminders:
Send annual courtesy reminders prior to the July 1 registration deadline to improve compliance and reduce violations. 5) Appeal Process Communication: Improve communication regarding the 10-day appeal window, noting that mailed notices reduce practical response time. Public Hearing closed.
Motion to waive the first reading of Ord. No. 25-04 by Council Member Renteria, seconded by Council Member Perez, motion passed by a 3-2 vote. Council Members Jenkins and Lopez – No.
NEW BUSINESS
3. THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FIREBAUGH TO SELECT MAYOR AND MAYOR PRO-TEMP PER RESOLUTION NO. 25-37.
Motion to nominate Valdez for Mayor, motion passed by a 3-2 vote.
Motion to nominate Renteria for Mayor Pro Temp, motion passed by a 3-2 vote.
4. THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FIREBAUGH TO APPROVE REPAYMENT AGREEMENT FOR
UTILITY USERS TAX REIMBURSEMENT BETWEEN THE CITY OF FIREBAUGH AND THE FIREBAUGH LAS DELTAS UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT.
Motion to table agenda item and request meeting with school board representatives by Council Member Jenkins, seconded by Council Member Perez, motion passed by a 5-0 vote.
STAFF REPORTS
Finance Director, Pio Martin – Nothing to report.
City Attorney, Christina Smith – Nothing to report.
Deputy City Clerk, Rita Lozano – Reminder, the Form 700 is due April 1, 2026. Everyone should receive an email from the Fair Political Practices Commission, because FPPC requires electronic filing. City Engineer, Mario Gouveia – We are waiting for improved weather conditions to continue construction of Q St., trying to use as much funding as possible, so the contractor is trying to do as much concrete work as possible at the school and trying to work on a driveway at 16th. The Test Well 18 is ready to go, but it’s really muddy in that area, making it difficult to proceed with work. Wastewater Treatment Plant Update: The Fund Balance Analysis (FBA) document has been submitted. We expect it may take a couple of months to receive a response. City Manager, Ben Gallegos – the city wanted to award the WWTP today, but we are waiting for an amendment to be signed before proceeding with a 25-million-dollar project. Public Works Director/Fire Chief Michael Molina – Nothing to report. Battalion Chief, Hector Marin – Thanked Mrs. Gonzales. For Christmas week, the Police Department invited us to be a part of their Christmas gift giving for the community; a majority of the department's volunteers were there to help out. Interim Police Chief Magda Martinez – we held a Christmas toy drive with a good turnout; officers and firefighters volunteered at the event.
City Council Minutes
January 5, 2026
Council Member, Lopez – Thanked the FD and PD for the event. Council Member, Jenkins – Thanked the FD and PD for the event. Council Member, Perez – Thanked the FD and PD for the event. Council Member Perez stated his lived in Firebaugh since 1998 and announced he will be running for the Board of Supervisor, he wants to help the community. Council Member, Renteria – asked the deputy clerk to email the new California employment provided in her staff report with web links. Asked the Interim Police Chief for an update on the School Resource Officers (RSO). Interim Police Chief informed that the new RSO is required to receive SRO-specific training and CIT (Crisis Intervention Training), a minimum of 40 hours within the first 12 months. Officer Lee took the training but has submitted his notice of leaving the city. The new SRO will be Officer Rodriguez and will start the training and be assigned to the school site next week. It is very difficult to get training in the valley; most trainings are offered in the North and South. Officer Gonzalez also took the training. Council Member Renteria thanked the chief for moving the officers around to fill the new vacant positions and asked the City Manager for an update on the volunteer insurance coverage. City Manager stated he is working with RMA on a new resolution.
Council Member Valdez - The City of Firebaugh is extremely blessed to have great groups like PAL, COPS, the Fire Department, and the church, which also did a toy giveaway. Local non-profits also did a toy giveaway and provided a turkey lunch. This community is very blessed by the partnerships and the ability to work together. Even if we disagree with one another sometimes, at the end of the day, we are all here to provide a service to the community. Questions were asked about whether we can use the resolution or coverage that the city uses to cover the firefighters' volunteers. City Manager replied that we are checking with our insurance company. Mayor Valdez, if ok with them, then it should be ok, right? City Manager responded because of the resolution recently found; we are checking, since they didn’t have a record of it. Adding, we can use the current one for now, but I was asked to redo some stuff. The Mayor then asked how, or if, this would affect Fire Department volunteers, stating that if no one can volunteer without the insurance coverage, how would it affect the fire department volunteers. The City Manager answered that the resolution was specifically for fire volunteers. The Mayor stated that the resolution needs to be updated.
COUNCIL MEMBERS AGENDA ITEMS None
PUBLIC COMMENT ON CLOSED SESSION ITEMS ONLY
Stephanie Gonzales asked if the evaluations are based on complaints or something else. A brief explanation was provided.
Motion to enter closed session at 6:17 pm by Council Member Jenkins and seconded by Council Member Perez. Motion passed by a 5-0 vote.
CLOSED SESSION
5. Government Code Section 54957
PUBLIC EMPLOYEE EVALUATION: City Manager.
6. Government Code Section 54957(b)(1)
PUBLIC EMPLOYEE PERFORMANCE EVALUATION: City Finance Director.
7. Government Code Section 54957(b)(1)
PUBLIC EMPLOYEE PERFORMANCE EVALUATION: City Police
8. Government Code Section 54957(b)(1)
PUBLIC EMPLOYEE PERFORMANCE EVALUATION: City Engineer
Motion to enter open session at 8:07 pm by Council Member Jenkins and seconded by Council Member Perez. Motion passed by a 5-0 vote.
ANNOUNCEMENT AFTER CLOSED SESSION: Decided to table evaluations.
ADJOURNMENT
Motion to adjourn at 8:08 pm by Council Member Jenkins and seconded by Council Member Perez. Motion passed by a 5-0 vote.