MINUTES
JOINT MEETING OF THE
GONZALES CITY COUNCIL AND
GONZALES SUCCESSOR AGENCY
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 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
Council Member Orozco 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
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 Esthela Palmerin, 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. Blue Zones Presentation
Blue Zones Project Representatives Kendra Howell, Marcus Pulido, and Dalila Alvarado provided an update on the progress towards certification, highlighted achievements in work sites, schools, and restaurants, and discussed the need for updates in tobacco policy and built environment policy.
3. Student Opportunity and Achievement Rising (S.O.A.R.) Asset Mapping Youth Advisor Jessica Olmedo introduced the Youth Council members and their action project, and explained the collaboration with other youth councils and the funding received from the Wallace Foundation and Hartnell Foundation.
Youth Commissioners Cardenas and Mendez provided an update on the SOAR Asset Mapping Project about career pathways for youth in the City of Gonzales, survey on youth experiences and assets, outreach initiatives, survey results, students background, and students future plans.
4. Citywide Transportation Overview
Public Works Director Dobbins provided a presentation on the overview of unsafe driver behavior reporting, tool kit for traffic calming, pedestrian mobility projects, and planned street rehabilitation projects.
Pete Maturino, 537 Del Monte Drive, talked about the speeding problems in the block of Del Monte Drive which went into Rincon Road, and both were narrow streets. He elaborated on the accidents and complaints in that area and offered his help in getting signatures on a petition or whatever else we need to do to slow people down.
Jesus Amador, 21 Seventh Street, commented about having the same issue since there was no stop sign between Belden and Seventh Streets and people were going over 40 miles per hour. He said he had to capture some incidents on video and purchased signs from Home Depot but nothing was working. He asked for some type of change before someone got hurt.
The Council agreed and shared concerns about speeding and agreed with staff to do anything that would help slow things down.
City Manager Gil added that staff applied for a mobile radar trailer through a grant since the one the Police Department used had long been broken.
BUSINESS FROM THE PUBLIC
5. 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.
Jeff Morgan, CHISPA President, introduced himself and the CHISPA communities and mentioned he was excited to continue to explore ideas with the excellent City staff on how Alta Street would work. He mentioned they were coming up with some creative ideas and work with the Pembrook group on the Vista Lucia Project, and looked forward to seeing how CHISPA could help build more housing.
Henry Martinez Jr. (via zoom), commented about having two complaint forms from December and had not heard anything about them; Gonzales not being a sanctuary City; not seeing the City enforcing the Assembly Bill 413 nor painting the corners red. He mentioned he picked up three more new charges from the Police Department and had all the evidence he needed to make a joke of the Police Department including the cell phone calls saying there was no warrant. He said Gonzales was looking at massive lawsuits with the first one coming soon.
CONSENT AGENDA
6. Approve the Joint City Council and Successor Agency - Regular Meeting - February 3, 2025 Minutes
7. Approve City Accounts Payable Warrants #51470-51522
8. City Manager’s Report
9. Community Development Department Activity Report
10. Community Engagement & Recreation Departments Activity Report
11. Fire Department Activity Report
12. Police Department Activity Report
13. Public Works/City Engineer Department Activity Report Council Member Worthy appreciated every department’s report, but with regards to Item 10, she asked if it was possible to hear from Julie and Jessica as she felt it would be good to have an oral presentation so that they knew what was going on even though it was written very well. But since they were the department’s hands-on people, it would be good to hear from them maybe quarterly.
City Manager Gil responded yes, staff could do that.
RESULT: APPROVED [UNANIMOUS] Consent Agenda Items 6-13
MOVER: Liz Silva, Mayor Pro Tem
SECONDER: Maria Orozco, Council Member
AYES: Jose L. Rios, Scott Funk, Liz Silva, Lorraine Worthy, Maria Orozco *
GONZALES YOUTH COUNCIL UPDATES
14. Oral Communications
Youth Commissioner Mendez reported on the meetings they continue to have and their participation in the final decisions on the Community Center Project furniture.
BUSINESS FROM CITY COUNCIL
15. City Council Board/Committee Reports
a. League of California Cities Monterey Bay Division
No report on this committee, but Mayor Rios reported on the Mayor's Selection Committee which was an exciting meeting where they discussed the LAFCO representation, and they voted for Mayor Donohue to represent that Board.
b. Association of Monterey Bay Area Governments
Council Member Funk reported on the first meeting where they introduced the new representatives from the County and Cities.
c. Monterey Salinas Transit
Council Member Worthy reported on the MST end of year report each Council Member received; the Roadeo award to Mayor LeBarre, and Orange Crush award she received; the appointments to the Measure Q Oversight Committee; Gonzales circulator data would be back in April; and announced the next meeting on March 10th.
16. Oral Communications
Council Member Silva announced this week was National Future Farmers of America Week and suggested giving FFA students encouragement for their hard work on their projects even in bad weather conditions. She also announced the Gonzales High Alumni multi-class reunion on September 6th at the Elks Lodge for anyone graduating between 1972 – 1978. She said people can call her for more information so she can direct them to the website.
Council Member Orozco thanked Police Chief Wise and City Manager Gil for attending the Know Your Rights meeting that was held on February 7th and thanked Chief Wise for his comments since there was really good feedback from the community who felt staff was very supportive. She also thanked Officer Perez who translated for the Chief and people had an opportunity to get a lot of their questions answered. She also thanked the new Superintendent Adame and his staff for the use of the facility. She announced a Meet and Greet event to meet Dr.
Adame this Friday from 5:30pm - 7:00pm. She announced she attended the Public Works Association Dinner where we received an award and one of our interns received a scholarship.
She also thanked the Gonzales Interact Students for a great job cleaning up Belden Street. She hoped to have a conversation on Saturday at the workshop about issues we continue to have such as parking on red zones, RVs parked on lawns, etc. since we continue to get those comments.
Mayor Rios said he was grateful and thankful for all the diligent work staff has doing on getting the development agreement complete and hoped to be in front of LAFCO sooner rather than later.
He thanked all staff involved this project since he knew it was tedious.
BUSINESS FROM CITY MANAGER
17. Oral Communications
City Manager Gil concurred with Mayor Rios and said this project required many documents with the Development Agreement and list of Conditions of Approval that staff was just finalizing. She was glad to report this project had been noticed and the Planning Commission meeting has been set on March 10th for presentation and consideration of the Vista Lucia Project, and then it would go to Council after that. She thanked all the staff and our legal support since this had been a really all hands-on deck approach, where staff and the Pembrook team were meeting 3 – 4 times a week. She reminded the Council about the Strategic Session this Saturday, February 22nd from 9:00am-2:00pm. She also announced the hiring of the new Community Development Technician who started today and would be introduced at the next meeting. She mentioned we had a Planning Commissioner seat open and was expecting another one, but staff was already recruiting. She asked the Council if they had anyone interested, to please contact Taven.
ADJOURNMENT
RESULT: APPROVED [UNANIMOUS]
MOVER: Liz Silva, Mayor Pro Tem
SECONDER: Maria Orozco, Council Member
AYES: Jose L. Rios, Scott Funk, Liz Silva, Lorraine Worthy, Maria Orozco The meeting was adjourned at 7:17 PM.
ATTEST:
Mary Villegas, Deputy City Clerk