MINUTES
JOINT MEETING OF THE
GONZALES CITY COUNCIL AND
GONZALES SUCCESSOR AGENCY
TUESDAY, JANUARY 21, 2025
6:00 P.M.
CALL TO ORDER
The meeting was called to order at 6:00 PM by Mayor Jose L. Rios.
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
Mayor Pro Tem Silva led the flag salute.
1. ROLL CALL
Attendee Name Title Status
Jose L. Rios Mayor/Chair Present
Liz Silva Mayor Pro Tem/Vice Chair Present
Scott Funk Council/Agency Member Present
Lorraine Worthy Council/Agency Member Present
Maria Orozco Council/Agency Member Present
YOUTH COMMISSIONERS
Absent: Valeria Cardenas and Emily Mendez.
STAFF PRESENT
City Manager Carmen Gil, City Attorney Michael F. Rodriquez (via zoom), Community Development Director Taven Kinson Brown, Executive Assistant to the City Manager/Deputy City Clerk Mary Villegas, Administrative Assistant II Marisol Gomez, Public Works Director/City Engineer Patrick Dobbins, Fire Chief Jason Muscio, and Police Chief Keith Wise. * Successor Agency Item
PUBLIC NOTICE
This meeting is being conducted consistent with State of California Executive Order N-29-20 dated March 17, 2020, regarding the COVID-19 pandemic. The public may participate in person or online via zoom at https://us06web.zoom.us/j/87020263943 or call 1 (669) 900-6833 and use Meeting ID: 870 2026 3943. If you wish to make either a general public comment or to comment on a specific agenda item, please use the Raise Hand function. You will be allowed three minutes for your comments.
If you choose not to attend the City Council meeting but wish to make a comment on a specific agenda item, please submit your comment limited to 250 words or less by 12:00p.m. on the day of the meeting to the City Clerk at [email protected]
PRESENTATIONS
2. Community Center Progress Report
Harris and Associates Construction Manager Luis Flores, Otto Construction Project Manager Kim Siason, and Otto Construction Superintendent Ron Chesshire, presented an update to the Council on the construction progress, schedule, financial update, project management, construction management, community engagement, and milestones. They showed photos and a timelapse of the construction and answered questions from the Council.
3. City Water/Sewer Operations Overview
Public Works Director Dobbins and Public Works Supervisor Twisselmann, presented a powerpoint presentation explaining the operations and maintenance of the water system as well as the sewer system, permitting, water quality testing, wastewater testing, and training,
BUSINESS FROM THE PUBLIC
4. Business from the Public not on the Agenda; any member of the Public may address the Council for a period not to exceed three minutes on any subject not on the Agenda. The Council will listen to all communications, but may take no action.
Henry Martinez Sr. commented about the last time he went to jail; Trump signing an order of free speech which meant he couldn't get interrupted by staff, lawyer or anyone from the Council on his three minutes and he could say whatever he wanted and even put his fingers up to the Chief or any Police Officer since it was free speech and he was protected with the document the President signed. He continued speaking about the three minutes he was entitled to, and hoped he didn't get to the point of shutting up this year because cussing and putting a finger up to an official was legal.
CONSENT AGENDA
5. Approve the Joint City Council and Successor Agency - Regular Meeting - January 13, 2025 Minutes
6. City Manager’s Report - 2024 Snapshot
7. Community Development Department Activity Report
8. Community Engagement & Recreation Departments Activity Report
9. Fire Department Activity Report
*
10. Police Department Activity Report
11. Public Works/City Engineer Department Activity Report
12. Consider Approval of Resolution No. 2025-05, A Resolution of the City Council of the City of Gonzales Adopting the Final Salinas Valley Safe Routes to School Plan
13. Consider Approval Resolution No. 2025-06, A Resolution of the City Council of the City of Gonzales Accepting the Emergency Construction of the Disposal Bed at the Wastewater Treatment Plant as Complete, Authorize Staff to File a Notice of Completion with the County Recorder and Release Retention Monies Held by the City to the Contractor 35 days After the Notice of Completion is Recorded
14. Consider Approval of the Updated Sewer Capital Improvement Program Mayor Pro Tem Silva pulled items 7, 10, and 11 for clarification. With regards to Item 7, she asked staff if the vehicle abatement on the front yard had been resolved.
Community Development Director Kinison Brown responded this was an open item and elaborated on the specific issue and what staff was currently doing.
With regards to Item 10, she noticed a stolen vehicle stolen in November and another one in December and asked if they had been recovered.
Police Chief Wise responded that only one had been recovered.
With regards to Item 11, she asked for what GIS stood for.
Public Works Director Dobbins responded it was Geographic Information Systems. He elaborated on the coliform water quality reports attachment that was attached to the activity report which he meant to mention under the Water and Wastewater presentation.
RESULT: APPROVED [UNANIMOUS] Consent Agenda Items 5-14
MOVER: Liz Silva, Mayor Pro Tem
SECONDER: Lorraine Worthy, Council Member
AYES: Jose L. Rios, Scott Funk, Liz Silva, Lorraine Worthy, Maria Orozco
REGULAR AGENDA
15. Presentation on Assembly Bill 413 (AB 413)
Staff Report: City Manager Gil presented the staff report via powerpoint presentation. She explained what Assembly Bill 413 was, enforcement efforts, and the volunteer program.
City Attorney Rodriquez added that staff would have an overall plan, and provide the volunteers with direction as to what needed to be painted. He informed that there were a couple of violations set by statute that were set at a much higher rate than the $35 rate, for example if someone parked in a corner and they were blocking a handicap access ramp or an area designated for a bus stop, that was an automatic $250 violation.
Public Comments: There was none.
Council received the presentation. No action required.
GONZALES YOUTH COUNCIL UPDATES
16. Oral Communications
No report.
BUSINESS FROM CITY COUNCIL
17. City Council Board/Committee Reports
a. League of California Cities Monterey Bay Division
No report.
b. Association of Monterey Bay Area Governments
Council Member Funk reported the meeting was cancelled. c. Monterey Salinas Transit
Council Member Worthy reported on the contact less effort, the $21 million for the Surf Project, implementation of a code of conduct policy, and next meeting on February 10th.
18. Oral Communications
Council Member Orozco asked staff if we could bring back a report on any changes to free speech that could be an open door to folks coming and being disrespectful and disruptive.
City Attorney Rodriquez responded he would be happy to report back to the Council. He also mentioned that the President was very busy yesterday and signed a number of executive orders, and the only executive order that he was aware of that he issued with regard to free speech, pertained only to federal agencies in federal meetings, that was primarily aimed at restricting the ability of a variety of different forums like Twitter and Facebook from censoring in any way encumbering free speech. But it had nothing to do with the subject matter that was referenced by our speaker this evening in terms of granting a full three minutes of an uninterrupted speech and addressing issues of using profanity or anything along those lines, which those remain unchanged and what we had in place was still in place.
Mayor Pro Tem Silva noticed some of the enhancements on Fifth Street by the MST bus stop which was the little bicycle rider painted on the street with green and white lines. She assumed that was part of the Safe Routes to School enhancements. She also informed the renovation of the Dick Force Stadium was going to be complete by the first part of April, and she was excited football was back this fall.
Council Member Worthy asked if an RV parked on the right-hand side of a house which was not a driveway, was legal, because she saw one parked on the lawn and it had been there for months.
Community Development Director Kinison Brown explained they needed to have a paved surface, and they had to be movable and operational. He said he would take a look at it.
Council Member Silva believed the issue was more that people were putting RVs where they were not supposed to be, and they were not being cited which was probably because of our limited staffing. She said they both walked neighborhoods last summer and identified a lot of different properties that had vehicles, boats, trailers, etc. that were an eyesore within the neighborhood.
Mayor Rios suggested to both Council Members to go out with Taven and the Code Enforcement Officer and pinpoint the specific areas and concerns.
City Manager Gil mentioned that staff had an issue with this because staff coded them, sent letters, etc. and like Chief Wise said, they just move them for a few days and bring them back, but staff was continuing to enforce it, placing citations on the windows, and following up.
Mayor Rios expressed his apologies to Public Works Director Dobbins since at the last meeting he commented about his years of service with the City and his wife who was in the audience, said he was rude. So he apologized and told him he didn’t mean to demean his years of service but he just jumped right into signing Liz's birthday. On another note, he said he saw a lot of cars blocking driveways specifically a van on Third Street that he had to walk around it, but he was more worried about the safety of kids. He said they need to be ticketed because that’s the route kids take to and from school.
Police Chief Wise asked for the exact location because he had gone out there when it was brought up and not seen it.
Mayor Rios said that he parked there definitely on the weekends and there were several other locations he was not going to get into each and every one of those. He also wanted a specific curb to be painted regarding the 20 feet on corner of Third and Belden Streets because they parked at an angle and he had to take a detour when he walked with his grandkids.
BUSINESS FROM CITY MANAGER
19. Oral Communications
City Manager Gil wanted to make sure the Council had on their calendar February 22nd from 9:00am-12:00pm at the Police Department Conference Room. She also mentioned that Community Services Officer Ivan Correa was put through the academy to prepare him as a Police Officer, and he would be graduating from the Police Academy this Friday.
Public Works Director Dobbins reported on the bid opening on February 26th for the Industrial Wastewater Treatment Facility, and noted that was another milestone in expanding the City's wastewater capacity.
Police Chief Wise confirmed that the stolen vehicle in November was recovered but the December one was still outstanding, and there was another one stolen in January. Regarding the problematic bicyclists in town, he informed that one person was arrested for riding the bicycle recklessly in the area of Fifth Street. He urged people to call at the time they were seeing the problem which would be very helpful when it was happening. He mentioned that the issue was addressed with the officers and they had been doing more bicycle enforcement. He added the Police Academy graduation would be at 11:00am at the Shoreline Church on Highway 68 and it was open to the public, and Mr. Correa would be starting Monday in the Field Training Program for about 15 weeks, and then he would go solo.
ADJOURNMENT
RESULT: APPROVED [UNANIMOUS]
MOVER: Lorraine Worthy, Council Member
SECONDER: Liz Silva, Mayor Pro Tem
AYES: Jose L. Rios, Scott Funk, Liz Silva, Lorraine Worthy, Maria Orozco The meeting was adjourned at 7:25 PM.
ATTEST:
Mary Villegas, Deputy City Clerk