City Council Minutes
January 13, 2026
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CITY COUNCIL MINUTES
MEETING OF JANUARY 13, 2026
CALL TO ORDER
Mayor White called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m.
ROLL CALL
PRESENT: Mayor White, Mayor Pro-tem Rodriguez, Councilmembers Ortiz, Jones and Garcia ABSENT: None
STAFF: City Manager Wood, Chief Mixer, Captain Paredes, Public Works Director Tugel, IT Director Espinosa, Science Workshop Director Sanchez, City Attorney Thompson, City Clerk Rathbun
GUESTS: Lourdes Villarreal, Ernie Gallardo, Faviola Mireles, Bryan Gage, Dorothy Jones
INVOCATION BY PASTOR DIANA SALINAS
Invocation by Lauro Valenzuela.
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
All recited the Pledge of Allegiance.
AGENDA REVIEW
No changes made.
PUBLIC COMMENTS FROM THE AUDIENCE REGARDING ITEMS NOT ON THE AGENDA Ernie Gallardo stated that he worked with Paul Mugan and that he was an asset to the community and suggested that the City honor Paul with a bench with his name on it outside of City Hall. He also stated Paul’s son, Michael, was now playing for a professional baseball team in Modesto.
Lourdes Villarreal gave kudos to the park maintenance crews. She reported that people were running stop signs on Oak Avenue and Walnut Avenue and that there were a lot of traffic violations occurring.
She stated that there were people on scooters driving unsafely and that she rarely saw patrol cars patrolling and asked if something could be done.
Faviola Mireles expressed her concerns and frustration regarding her ongoing utility billing issues and the lack of accountability from city officials. She stated that she owned property and it had been vacated for six months with zero water usage, however, the meter continued to show usage. She stated that she had contacted Public Works Director Tugel, Mayor White and City Manager Wood and had not received a response until she sent another email including Supervisor Lopez and then she was contacted. She stated that if it was happening to her it was happening to other residents as well. She stated that she believed that the City was overcharging its residents due to system failures or improper meter readings.
She also stated that what was more frustrating was that the City was now proposing to raise the utility rates and it would be based on water consumption and those reading were not correct. She stated that residents should not be paying more while basic responsibilities like reading water meters correctly, billing correctly and returning deposits on time were not being met. She asked for a full review and 26 City Council Minutes
January 13, 2026
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correction of her utility charge for the entire period that the property had been vacant.
Laura Mireles stated that she was here to formally express her concerns regarding enforcement of traffic laws and city codes within the City. She stated that in the last 2 years she had experienced two separate incidents where her vehicle was struck by reckless and irresponsible drivers. She stated that in the two cases officers responded, however, no citations were issued to the drivers at fault. She also stated that her sister was also involved in an incident, and the driver did not possess a driver’s license and did not have insurance. She stated that the officers stated that they could not issue citations because the incidents were on private property, McDonald’s and Dollar General. She stated that the laws and codes were not being enforced and it had created an environment in which individuals felt free to disregard regulations without consequences. She stated that she would like to request clarification on the departmental policies regarding enforcement on private property, unlicensed and uninsured drivers and parking violations as well as asking that enforcement of the law be enforced for the safety of all residents.
COMMENTS FROM CITY COUNCIL
Councilmember Jones gave a shout out to Jesus Perez and the recreation department for the Christmas at the Park event.
Councilmember Garcia stated that she also had concerns regarding traffic violations and the traffic on Oak Avenue. She stated that with more people in Greenfield and more ADUs there was more traffic. She stated that alleys were being used more and more potholes were developing. She stated that there were a lot of scooters out there and asked if the police could look into this.
Councilmember Ortiz stated that there were a lot of traffic issues and asked about placing a stop sign in front of the post office because people were making U-turns there. She thanked the Police Department and first responders for helping with the accident in King City. She stated that there were a lot of emergency calls and was wondering if they could get a report on it. She stated that parking on the corners was still a problem and believed it was because the curbs were not painted red and asked if staff could look into painting all the corners red. She stated that there was a water leak at the park and the fire department showed up; however, stated that fire should not be coming out to those types of calls. She also stated that she wanted to sit down with staff and get a schedule regarding the banner schedule. She asked if the pizza place was coming back to the shopping center or what was happening there. She reminded everyone that school was back in session and kids were walking around. She stated that the flu was going around and that it was really important to stay away if you’re sick. She also announced that she would be hosting a spring picnic for Magnolia Place and Los Ositos residents.
Mayor Pro-tem Rodriguez stated that she would be following up on the issues from the emails that they received. She also asked for an update on the park signs that Supervisor Lopez was going to fund. She stated that she knew the holidays could be difficult for some people in our community but that doesn’t just end with the holidays. She stated that there was a national crisis support line for anyone to call – #988. She also gave a shout out to Monterey County Behavioral Health and stated that they did an amazing job. She also requested that an item regarding the Market at the Gazebo be placed on the next agenda. City Council concurred.
Mayor White stated that he attended the ribbon cutting for the Dennis & Janice Caprara Community Center in Gonzales and he stated that Congresswoman Lofgren, Senator Caballero, Supervisor Lopez as well as representatives from Senator Laird, Speaker of the Assembly Rivas Office and all Salinas Valley Mayors were in attendance. He reported that the crosswalk, near the hardware store, that the buttons were not working for the lights on the west side. He also asked for an update on the Walnut Avenue Pedestrian Crossing Project.
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CONSENT ITEMS
A MOTION by Mayor Pro-tem Rodriguez, seconded by Councilmember Garcia to approve the consent items including Warrants #326184 through #326334 and Bank Drafts #7015 through #7073 in the amount of $2,280,05539; approve Minutes of the December 9, 2025 City Council Meeting, and Receive and File Monthly Departmental Reports – Fire Department – Science Workshop. All in favor. Motion carried.
CITY COUNCIL BUSINESS
ADOPT A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF GREENFIELD ADOPTING THE
ESTABLISHMENT OF AN ON-CALL CONSULTANT LIST FOR PROFESSIONAL SERVICES RESOLUTION #2026-01
Staff report was given by Public Works Director Tugel.
A MOTION by Councilmember Ortiz, seconded by Councilmember Garcia to adopt Resolution #2026-01, “A Resolution of the City Council of the City of Greenfield Adopting the Establishment of an On-Call Consultant List for Professional Services”. All in favor. Motion carried.
ADOPT A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF GREENFIELD AWARDING THE PURCHASE OF TWO (2) FORD RANGER 4WD CREW CABS TO ONE NATION DISTRIBUTION, LLC IN THE AMOUNT OF $71,978.00
RESOLUTION #2026-02
Staff report was given by Public Works Director Tugel.
Laura Mireles stated that the purchase of the vehicles should be completed later because all funds should be used for the wastewater expansion.
Councilmember Garcia asked about the funding. Public Works Director Tugel stated that a third of one truck would be coming from the wastewater fund.
A MOTION by Mayor Pro-tem Rodriguez, seconded by Councilmember Ortiz to adopt Resolution #2026-02, “A Resolution of the City Council of the City of Greenfield Awarding the Purchase of Two (2) Ford Ranger 4WD Crew Cabs to One Nation Distribution, LLC in the Amount of $71,978.00”. All in favor. Motion carried.
ADOPT A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF GREENFIELD ACCEPTING AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS IN FISCAL YEAR 2025-2026 IN THE AMOUNT OF $101,536.61 TO FUND
EXPENDITURES TO BE PAID FOR WITH SUPPLEMENTAL LAW ENFORCEMENT SERVICES FUND RESOLUTION #2026-03
Staff report was given by Chief Mixer.
A MOTION by Councilmember Ortiz, seconded by Mayor Pro-tem Rodriguez to adopt Resolution #2026-03, “A Resolution of the City Council of the City of Greenfield Accepting and Appropriating Funds in Fiscal Year 2025-2026 in the Amount of $101,536.61 to Fund Expenditures to be Paid for with Supplemental Law Enforcement Services Fund”. All in favor. Motion carried. 28 City Council Minutes
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ADOPT A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF GREENFIELD TO ENTER INTO
AN AGREEMENT WITH FLOCK SAFETY TO CONSOLIDATE CONTRACTS AND EXPAND
SERVICES
RESOLUTION #2026-04
Staff report was given by Chief Mixer.
Councilmember Garcia stated that this was a big issue and stated that on one hand there would be more eyes looking out. She stated that the bigger the city got the more crime. She stated that she just wanted to make sure that there was no breach of data and that bad people were captured.
Councilmember Jones asked who audited the system. Chief Mixer stated that it was himself.
Councilmember Ortiz stated that she started getting involved about 15-16 years ago because of the number of murders and the high crime rate in Greenfield. She stated that the City had come a long way and that it was through good detective work and cameras also helped to solve crimes.
Mayor White stated that the cameras were a deterrent of crime.
Chief Mixer stated that everyone knew that the City had technology and stated that the cameras were only vehicle specific and that the data was kept only 30 days.
Mayor Pro-tem Rodriguez asked about the five current contracts that were mentioned in the staff report; were the contracts expiring already or was the City terminating the contracts early. Chief Mixer stated that they would be receiving a prorated amount for that contract and it would be actually making the actual costs of this contract less. Mayor Pro-tem Rodriguez stated that this was a very controversial topic and asked if information came to light that the FLOCK data was breached or something and used by another agency, as a Council could we decide to reverse course the same way that Santa Cruz did and end the contract. She stated that if that happened what kind of termination fees would be involved and what were the legal ramifications for ending the contract. Chief Mixer stated that FLOCK had been very generous in their writings of the contract and even breaking contract with cities that didn’t uphold them because of the community. He stated that any information would only be shared within California and no federal agency. Mayor Pro-tem Rodriguez stated that the City’s commitment was for the privacy of the community.
A MOTION Councilmember Ortiz, seconded by Mayor Pro-tem Rodriguez to adopt Resolution #2026-04, “A Resolution of the City Council of the City of Greenfield to Enter into an Agreement with FLOCK Safety to Consolidate Contracts and Expand Services”, All in favor. Motion carried.
ADOPT A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF GREENFIELD MAKING
APPOINTMENTS TO THE TRANSPORTATION AGENCY FOR MONTEREY COUNTY (TAMC),
ASSOCIATION OF MONTEREY BAY AREA GOVERNMENTS (AMBAG), SALINAS VALLEY SOLID
WASTE AUTHORITY (SVSWA), MONTEREY SALINAS TRANSIT DISTRICT BOARD (MST),
ARROYO SECO GROUNDWATER SUSTAINABILITY AGENCY (ASGSA) AND SOUTH SALINAS
VALLEY BROADBAND AUTHORITY
RESOLUTION #2026-05
Staff report was given by City Clerk Rathbun.
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The following appointments were made:
TAMC – Robert White, member / Rachel Ortiz, alternate
AMBAG – Rachel Ortiz, member / Ariana Rodriguez, alternate SVSWA – Belen Garcia, member / Marcy Jones, alternate
MST – Ariana Rodriguez, member / Robert White, alternate Arroyo Seco GSA – Robert White, member / Marcy Jones, alternate South Salinas Valley Broadband – Belen Garcia, member / Marcy Jones, alternate A MOTION by Mayor Pro-tem Rodriguez, seconded by Councilmember Ortiz to adopt Resolution #2026-05, “A Resolution of the City Council of the City of Greenfield Making Appointments to the Transportation Agency for Monterey County (TAMC), Association of Monterey Bay Area Governments (AMBAG), Salinas Valley Solid Waste Authority (SVSWA), Monterey-Salinas Transit District Board (MST), Arroyo Seco Groundwater Sustainability Agency (ASGSA) and South Salinas Valley Broadband Authority”. All in favor. Motion carried.
CITY ATTORNEY REPORT
No report.
CITY MANAGER REPORT
No report.
ADJOURNMENT
Meeting adjourned at 7:18 p.m.
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Mayor of the City of Greenfield
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City Clerk of the City of Greenfield
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