MINUTES
JOINT MEETING OF THE
GONZALES CITY COUNCIL AND
GONZALES SUCCESSOR AGENCY
MONDAY, AUGUST 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 Excused
Lorraine Worthy Council/Agency Member Excused
Maria Orozco Council/Agency Member Present
STAFF PRESENT
City Manager Carmen Gil, City Attorney Michael F. Rodriquez, Community Development Director Taven Kinison Brown, Executive Assistant to the City Manager/Deputy City Clerk Mary Villegas, Administrative Assistant II Esthela Palmerin, 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 two 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]
City Manager Gil acknowledged and introduced two visitors, Joe Matthews and Bruno Kaufmann, and thanked them for putting Gonzales on their list of to do’s and getting to know the town more.
Bruno Kaufmann mentioned he was a Swedish journalist covering local democracy around the world, and I heard so much about Gonzales. When he had the opportunity to come here and to learn more about what Gonzales was doing, he was very pleased to do so.
Joe Matthews mentioned he had known some of the Council since he had been here many times over the last ten years to write about Gonzales and some of the successes. He stated that Bruno and he have run a global forum on democratic practice about local governance and democracy for 17 years. He added he had been talking up Gonzales, which just has the right spirit, democratic culture punches way above its weight. He said it was great to have Bruno finally here after 17 years.
Mayor Rios presented both Mr. Kaufmann and Mr. Matthews with a gift and took a picture with them and the Council.
PRESENTATIONS
2. Fire Department Ballot Measure Survey
David Flaherty, Magellan Strategies CEO, explained the survey objectives, methodology, survey questions, uninformed ballot test, ballot measure information questions, and uniformed vs informed comparisons.
3. Alliance on Aging Local Aging and Disabilities Action Plan MJ Donohue, Alliance on Aging Executive Director, explained the project area, domains of livability, Local Aging and Disabilities Action Plan process, priority goal recommendations, and leadership role.
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 two (2) minutes on any subject not on the Agenda. The Council will listen to all communications, but may take no action.
Henry Jr. said he had a glorious day at court because the District Attorney refused to file the charges against him. He commented about the two officers that arrested him being racist and
elaborated on the day he was arrested; filed a complaint to seek damages from the City; the Police Department not arresting the former Mayor for his threatening comments and taking it to the Sherrif; wearing a vest to protect himself; and assured he would get his bail money back.
Henry Martinez Sr. commented about the incident involving Sergeant Bowen, Melgoza, and Corporal Castillo about being struck with a flashlight last year; gave the Council a copy of the law regarding citizen arrests; elaborated on having witnesses; and the Chief failing at his job.
Roman Barba commented about the sidewalks that haven’t been fixed; being told he wasn’t allowed to ride his bike in the park on the Fourth of July and elaborated on the day he got a ticket for riding his bike the wrong way on the street; feeling the Police Department having something against him because he was a witness to the Martinez’s incident outside the chambers.
Larry Rodriguez, Spartan 300 Club President, acknowledged the Club’s Board Member Johnny Sinclair. He talked about the fireworks sales campaign this year being a resounding success thanks to remarkable and unwavering support from the community fueling efforts to make a meaningful difference for students; announced an increase in the number of scholarships awarded; and extended the Club’s heartfelt gratitude to everyone who participated, volunteered and supported the event, specially to the Mayor, Fire Chief and staff for forming the fireworks committee.
Johnny Sinclair expressed his frustration towards the Martinez’s on how they acted, and commented about the people he saw lighting fireworks and knowing who was going to get busted. He commented about all the resources being at the Martinez’s house; seeing other agencies’ cars going too fast and turning on to Tenth Street on the Fourth of July; telling Mr.
Martinez that he would testify that he saw another guy lighting fireworks; and added the City was going to pay him some money.
Steven Romero, Shield Bearers President, agreed with Mr. Rodriguez about this year being successful with the fireworks sales thanks to the support from the community; and commented about raising enough money to give the football boys a meal before each game, and enough to support to give back to the community; and thanked the community for supporting them.
City Attorney Rodriquez informed staff received a written comment on August 18th at 8:00am from Andrew Brown regarding the mural that was displayed on Belden Street, who also indicated at the end of his comment that his comment was intended as a satire. He mentioned Mr. Brown made a number of comments about the mural and the comment will become a part of the public record.
CONSENT AGENDA
5. Approve the Joint City Council and Successor Agency - Budget Meeting - August 4, 2025 Minutes
6. Approve City Accounts Payable Warrants #52439-52499
7. City Manager’s Report
8. Community Development Department Activity Report
9. Community Engagement & Recreation Departments Activity Report
10. Fire Department Activity Report
*
11. Police Department Activity Report
12. Public Works/City Engineer Department Activity Report
13. Consider Approval of Proclamation No. 2025-06 Proclaiming September 2025 as Childhood Cancer Awareness Month and Honoring Jacob’s Heart Children’s Cancer Support Services
14. Consider Approval of Resolution No. 2025-65 A Resolution of the City Council of the City of Gonzales Authorizing the City Manager to Sign a Consultant Services Agreement Between the City of Gonzales and Placeworks Inc., for Implementation of 6th Cycle Housing Element Programs
RESULT: APPROVED [UNANIMOUS] Consent Agenda Items 5-14
MOVER: Liz Silva, Mayor Pro Tem
SECONDER: Maria Orozco, Council Member
AYES: Jose L. Rios, Liz Silva, Maria Orozco
EXCUSED: Scott Funk, Lorraine Worthy
REGULAR AGENDA
15. Public Hearing to Consider Waiver of Second Reading, Read by Title Only, and Adopt Ordinance No. 2025-152, An Ordinance of the City Council of the City of Gonzales Approving the New 6th Cycle Housing Element by Amending Title 12- (Zoning Regulations) with Associated Zoning Map and Zoning Regulation Text Changes, as Follows: Provisions in Chapter
12.08-Definitions, Chapter 12.20-Site Plan Permits, Chapter 12.48-Density Bonus, Chapter
12.56-Summary Of Zoning Districts and Permitted Uses, Chapter 12.68-R-1 Medium Density Residential District, Chapter 12.112-General Applications, and Chapter 12.120-Parking, and the Addition of New Chapter 12.54-Reasonable Accommodations, Chapter 12.110-AHO Affordable Housing Overlay, Chapter 12.154-Local Education Agency Lands, Chapter 12.156-Employee Housing, Chapter 12.158-Licensed Residential Care Facilities, and Chapter 12.160-Transitional and Supportive Housing, and Amending the Zoning Map to Comply with the General Plan Staff Report: Community Development Director Kinison Brown presented the staff report.
Mayor Rios opened the public hearing at 6:55pm.
Public Hearing: No comments came forward.
Mayor Rios closed the public hearing at 6:55pm.
Council Discussion: There was none.
RESULT: APPROVED [UNANIMOUS]
MOVER: Liz Silva, Mayor Pro Tem
SECONDER: Maria Orozco, Council Member
AYES: Jose L. Rios, Liz Silva, Maria Orozco
EXCUSED: Scott Funk, Lorraine Worthy
16. Public Hearing to Consider Approval of Resolution No. 2025-53, A Resolution of the City Council of the City of Gonzales Approving and Accepting the Gonzales Police Department’s AB 481 Fiscal Year 2024-2025 Annual Military Equipment Use Report Pursuant to Government Code Section 7071(d) and Renewing City of Gonzales Ordinance No. 2022-131 “Approving Gonzales Police Department Policy Manual Policy 709- Military Equipment”
Staff Report: City Attorney Rodriquez presented the staff report.
Mayor Rios opened the public hearing at 7:01pm.
Public Hearing: Henry Martinez Jr. commented the City was lying since the Attorney said nobody complained about the military equipment.
City Attorney Rodriquez clarified that he said there were no sustained complaints regarding the use of the City's military equipment.
Mayor Rios repeated, there were no sustained complaints.
Mr. Martinez Jr. continued elaborating and complaining about the privacy of people's homes, and said that as officers get more military equipment, civilians start getting their own military equipment and no one can prevent him from doing that. He suggested reducing the costs by not buying more guns.
Henry Martinez Sr. expressed his opposition to the military use equipment and commented about violating their civil rights and refusing to take complaints of citizen arrests; drone operator still working and ticketing people instead of being in jail; and this was a peaceful community; and people they could see his videos on the Gonzales Real News.
Andrew Brown, via zoom, commented about seeing the report on the website but not on Instagram.
Council Discussion: Mayor Rios talked about his relatives being in law enforcement and one of them sharing they would rather be judged by twelve people than be carried by six, and understood we were a small quiet community, but there had been too many Sandy Hook incidents and too many places where some guys just lose it. He rather know that our Police Department had resources to use if needed, and felt almost every criminal out there got way more firepower than any Police Officer on our force. He commended our law enforcement personnel for wanting to serve our community as he felt this was a thankless job but they found it in their hearts to serve.
Mayor Pro Tem Silva clarified to the public this was just an annual report, and it did not mean that we had made any recent purchases. She said the Police Department was doing what was required of them, which was their due diligence to make an annual report, and were not saying that they had purchased any additional equipment since the last report a year ago. She just wanted to make sure that was crystal clear to everyone.
RESULT: APPROVED [UNANIMOUS]
MOVER: Liz Silva, Mayor Pro Tem
SECONDER: Maria Orozco, Council Member
AYES: Jose L. Rios, Liz Silva, Maria Orozco
EXCUSED: Scott Funk, Lorraine Worthy
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
No report.
c. Monterey Salinas Transit
No report.
18. Oral Communications
Mayor Pro Tem Silva reported seeing an email from Deanna Sessums asking for any interested people to step up and join their leadership group. She announced the Monterey County Fair on August 27th- September 1st; Paint your Town Purple on August 28th and encouraged people to wear purple to support the efforts of all those who raise funds for the Relay for Life; and the Football Rivalry Game between Gonzales and King City at the new Stadium on September 5th.
Council Member Orozco asked if the League of California Cities Monterey Bay Division was having a meeting any time soon.
Mayor Pro Tem Silva responded that she received an email about one coming up in Hollister on September 8th and would forward that email to her.
Council Member Orozco thanked her and mentioned the National Night Out was a great event every year and was getting better. She heard a lot of positive feedback from the community about the agencies that come to provide information to our residents and families. She said we need to really make an effort to bring agencies into our community because sometimes that's the only time people get information about different services. She thanked Chief Wise and his staff for putting this event together. She also thanked everyone who sponsored and supported Rotary’s Annual Golf Tournament, which raised funds for scholarships. She also thanked the business owners who sponsored the silent auction, and was happy to report they had given out over $200,000 in scholarships. She announced next year’s would be their 15th Anniversary. She also announced St. Theodore’s Church Annual Carnival on September 28th.
Mayor Rios brought up the dip issue again at Elko and Fifth Streets and knew we were tight on the budget but he couldn’t imagine that we didn't have enough dollars in the bank to be able to afford a few bags of asphalt mix. He said he would be happy to loan it to the City if they didn’t.
He shared one of his biggest frustrations was the length of time to get things done.
City Manager Gil told him a work order was put in for that issue, but she would follow up on that.
Mayor Rios thanked the Fire Department’s staff for minimizing the size of the fire yesterday. He shared comments he received about Police Officers being on the scene but he believed the Incident Commander was the Fire Chief. He asked the Fire Chief if they just showed up, but the comment was that the officers were there talking but not blocking any of the streets, and it didn't look well.
Fire Chief Muscio responded that he had Corporal Castillo blocking Seventh and Center Street for probably an hour and a half, so they were needed and they were deployed to assist the Fire Department in their efforts, as well as gathering information from the property owner for the report.
Mayor Rios said the comments he got were that neither side was blocked so he was glad to hear that it was, and it didn’t sound totally correct to him but obviously the Fire Chief was the incident commander, and he assumed what he was telling him was what happened.
Police Chief Wise added that they had a total of two Officers on duty that particular time. He said he had seen a video through social media that showed our Officer rushing in with a fire extinguisher trying to do what he could, and immediately blocked off the streets.
Mayor Rios thanked him for the clarification and apologized to the City Manager for bringing up the hole issue again, but he wasn’t asking for rocket science.
City Manager Gil indicated we were short staffed in the Public Works Department, but she would follow up on that.
BUSINESS FROM CITY MANAGER
19. Oral Communications
City Manager Gil announced the Gardening Day on August 30th from 10:00am - 12:00pm. She thanked the Police Department staff for the successful National Night Out event, where we had karaoke with one of our Officers that people were enjoying, and it was nice to see him do that for the attendees.
Fire Chief Muscio reported the fire truck was in California and we should be expecting it the first week of September.
Community Development Director Kinison Brown reported on an individual who had accepted the position as the Development Services Technician and announced the community wide Garage Sale on October 11th and 12th.
City Attorney Rodriquez wanted to confirm the availability of the Council for a Special meeting on August 25th for the City Manager’s contract item.
The Council confirmed.
ADJOURNMENT
RESULT: APPROVED [UNANIMOUS]
MOVER: Maria Orozco, Council Member
SECONDER: Liz Silva, Mayor Pro Tem
AYES: Jose L. Rios, Liz Silva, Maria Orozco
EXCUSED: Scott Funk, Lorraine Worthy
The meeting was adjourned at 7:26 PM.
ATTEST:
Mary Villegas, Deputy City Clerk
1 Mary Villegas
From: Andrew Brown <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, August 18, 2025 8:00 AM
To: City Clerk
Subject: BUSINESS FROM THE PUBLIC - Aug 18 | Submission Attachments: Public Comment – Council Meeting.pdf
Hello clerk, please confirm my submission. as never got previous ones read Public Comment – City Council Meeting
The portrait featuring the graduate woman on the right personally—subjectively—reminds me of City Manager Carmen Gil. I invite everyone to take a moment and stare—perhaps uncomfortably—at the city manager’s side profile, and then compare it to the rendition displayed on Belden. Is this how the city chooses to allocate its resources? On personal portraits?
The commissioned artist, Juan L. Sanchez, now has a potential contract with the Teen Innovation Center.
Based on this trajectory, I can only conclude that our youth will soon be enlisted—forced, even—to produce more portraits of Ms. Gil. I fear we may soon see her likeness adorning walls throughout the town, in a fashion reminiscent of Mussolini’s Italy in the 1940s.
Shortly after making this connection, I began receiving mysterious packages at my home. One contained a portrait of Carmen Gil, with a single finger pressed to her lips in a gesture of silence. I discarded the portrait.
The next day, it appeared hung on my wall—unbidden—with her eyes following me, silently urging my silence.
But like many truth-seekers and journalists before me, I am willing to suffer mild indigestion and seasonal allergies in pursuit of this truth—and nothing more.
Disclaimer: This comment is intended as satire and should not be interpreted as a factual allegation.