MINUTES
City of Guadalupe
Regular Meeting of the Guadalupe City Council
Tuesday, November 12, 2024, at 6:00 pm
City Hall, 918 Obispo Street, Council Chambers
ROLL CALL:
Council Member Christina Hernandez
Council Member Gilbert Robles
Council Member Whitney Furness
Mayor Pro Tempore Eugene Costa Jr.
Mayor Ariston Julian
Mayor Julian called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. All members were present except CM Costa, Jr. (Note: the abbreviation, "CM" for "Council Member", will be used in these minutes.)
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
CM Hernandez lead in the Pledge of Allegiance.
MOMENT OF THANKS, APPRECIATION OR CONDOLENCES.
Mayor Julian mentioned the passing of two individuals who had prior roots in Guadalupe: Earl Capelle on November gth and Priscilla "Tiny" Cortez Capelle on November gth. Condolences were offered to their families.
4. AGENDA REVIEW
There were no changes made to the agenda.
5. CEREMONIAL CALENDAR
A. Commanding Officers Commendations: Police Officers Lia Welkom, Luis Castellanos, Christopher Orozco, Omar Ruiz
Chief Cash thanked the City Council for the opportunity to acknowledge the officers for the work they have done. Chief Cash then said, "At this time, the Guadalupe Police Department awards the Commanding Officers Citation to Officer Ruitz, Officer Welkom, Officer Castellanos and Officer Orozco." The Chief then read the "Commanding Officer's Commendation" which said:
November 12, 2024 City of Guadalupe Council Meeting Minutes Page 1 of 23 "On Saturday, September 27, 2024, at approximately 1533 hours, Officer Christopher Orozco responded to a reported sexual assault of a 12-year-old female. The victim disclosed her stepfather (30 years old) sexually assaulted her approximately five different times, with the first-time being July 2024, and the most recent time being on Friday, September 27, 2024.
Due to the magnitude of the crime, Officer Orozco called for additional officers to assist. Night shift Officers Lia Welkom, Officer Omar Ruiz, and Officer Luis Castellanos were called back to work to assist, provide an additional level of police expertise, and ensure a thorough and complete investigation would be completed.
A forensic interview was conducted with the victim, and a medical examination was later performed.
Officers continually comforted the victim and family during this horrendous time and let them know that they would be protected.
To ensure the suspect would be arrested, not flee the country, and held without being released to protect the victim and family, officers took the long and arduous task to seek out a judge and obtain a Ramey Warrant. The warrant application was approved by a judge and the warrant service was executed at the separate addresses where the suspect lived. The suspect was arrested and booked into the Sata Barbara North County Jail Facility.
Officer Orozco, Officer Welkom, Officer Ruiz, and Officer Castellanos are commended for their detailed and thorough investigation, developing a calming and supportive relationship with the victim and family, and their skilled interview and interrogation techniques that resulted in the arrest and detailed confession."
Chief Cash then said, "On this date, November 12, 2024, before the City Council, I'd like to commend the officers for this outstanding award." He presented the commendations to Officer Orozco, Officer Welkom and Officer Ruiz who were present at the meeting. (Officer Castellanos was not able to attend.)
Officer Orozco said, "Hello, City Council and everyone attending, thank you for attending this meeting. I want to particularly thank Officer Ruiz, my partner, at night, as well as Castellanos and Lia Welkom. They did an amazing job so we could complete a thorough investigation. I appreciate my partners, and I'm very grateful for everybody, including the Chief, and everybody I work with." Officer Ruiz said, "Obviously, we got this award, but it's a group effort, a so-called team effort. We got a lot of the credit and sometimes, the victims don't get credit. It's very unfortunate. Hopefully, this will end in conviction. But if it doesn't, there's trauma that will be associated for the rest of the young child's life, a victim, a survivor. That's what we try to emphasize. A lot of the time, the focus is on the suspect. We try to find wrap around services for not only the victim and for the family.
When I say it's a team effort, it really is. We get the credit, but there are a lot of people behind the scenes that approve and finalize a lot of details so we can make this happen. So, / want to thank and commend the staff...the people, those behind the scene..like the office staff, Norma Bribiesca, Joanna, Lt. Limon who are also involved. They're obviously not up here but they had a lot to do with this. Thank you."
November 12, 2024 City of Guadalupe Council Meeting Minutes Page 2 of 23 Officer Welkom said, "Thank you, Chief, and Council Members. I'm on the newer side, so it was amazing going in there and having my partners help me go through it...really teach me as we went and did it as well as execute it very well. I appreciate everyone for being a part of that call. Thank you"
Mayor Julian said, "It's really heartwarming to.. first of all, the victim is...it's a travesty that that happened to the victim. It serves our community well knowing that we have staff like all of you who will actually go out to the community and wrap your knowledge around the individual and the family.
And a lot of the other partners that helped you. So, we appreciate your service and so does the community. Thank you all for doing what you do."
B. District Attorney's Office Commendation: Police Officer Luis Castellanos Chief Cash said, "It's one thing for me to give commendations to the officers. I see them on a regular basis, and I see the outstanding work that they do. But when you get a commendation from an outside law enforcement agency, that takes it to a whole other level." He then read the "Santa Barbara District Attorney's Office Commendation for Guadalupe Police Officer Luis Castellanos" which said:
"I am writing to express my gratitude for and recognition for the work Officer Luis Castellanos did on the 'People v. Samuel Morin' prosecution. Your case number 24-0713.
This is a significant felony DV case stemming from a March incident where the defendant punched the victim in the fact, knocking her to the ground. When she tried to get up, he kicked her in the head three times. She sustained lacerations to her lip and head, resulting in stitches to both.
Officer Castellanos was the investigating officer. He treated the victim with care at the scene. He got information about the sequence of events that proved to be critical during our preliminary hearing last week.
During the preliminary hearing, the victim lied about who the aggressor was. She now claims that a woman only known as 'Monique' is the one who assaulted her. Frankly, the victim is a pretty good liar. Perhaps this is because she is a repeat DV victim. After all, this defendant was released from prison for beating her less than a year prior to this assault. The victim also admitted that she grew up with DV in her home, and that men abusing women is 'normal' to her.
In an effort to impeach the victim's prelim testimony, 1 put Officer Castellanos on the stand. / was going to ask him questions about her demeanor and her statement, but he suggested I play the 28- minute body camera interaction. He reminded me that the victim's demeanor is compelling when viewed on his body camera footage. I adopted his idea, and it proved to be a good one. In her holding order, the judge noted that she found the victim's prelim testimony to be 'not credible', while remarking that her demeanor with Officer Castellanos on scene was clearly consistent with the story of DV she originally reported.
In addition, Officer Castellanos's investigation allowed me to add a felony...dissuading a witness charge during the prelim.
November 12, 2024 City of Guadalupe Council Meeting Minutes Page 3 of 23 This defendant is a scary man, with a history of both gang association and beating a variety of women. He needs to go back to prison. And based on Officer Castellanos's investigation, 1 am confident that we will take him to prison,
It's also worth noting that Officer Castellanos was an overall good sport during the prelim. He worked the graveyard shift the night before and the night after the Friday prelim. He even had to come back after lunch to testify. He never complained.
I am grateful to have a dedicated and experienced officer on this case." Signed, Lindsey Bittner, Senior Deputy District Attorney, Vulnerable Victims Unit, Santa Barbara County, Santa Maria Office.
Chief Cash then said, "That just shows, for us, what we see on a regular basis from every single personnel in public safety. A lot of times, this kind of goes unnoticed because 'that's just your job'.
But it's awesome when I get to see these individuals take things above and beyond, and their whole thing is 'how can we help the victim, and how can we help our city to be better and to protect the people that need protection'. This was a great commendation, but I also want to commend all the officers and this other group that will be coming up afterwards." Mayor Julian added, "Chief, it's depressing reports that you have. It's good to know that police officers don't just give tickets. They go into detail in terms of protecting human life and public safety.
Thank you and thank him for that."
C. Guadalupe Police Explorers - Central Coast Explorer Completion Awards Chief Cash said, "At this time, I'd like our Explorer Advisor, Officer Lia Welkom, come up. Also, I'd like to say the future of Guadalupe, at least my future, our Police Explorers...if they would step forward. (At this point, all 10 Explorers came to the stand nearer to the front of the chamber. There are 10 Explorers, five (5) females and five (5) males.)"
The Chief then said, "Just to get started, we also have Andreas (Gutierrez). He was an Explorer years ago, but he's never left the program. He has been the right hand of this program for years, so that we stay consistent. / want to thank the City Council and our community. They support with donations for the Explorers for uniforms, for competitions. I like to think that this is one of the real faces of our youth in Guadalupe. This is what our youth can do. They are so outstanding in the county, not only of Santa Barbara. They get requests from Ventura County, from San Luis Obispo County and all other departments. When there are events, 9 times out of 10...'II put them on blast. Lompoc calls our Explorers to come help in their events. Santa Barbara calls our Explorers to help in their events. San Luis Obispo calls our Explorers to help in their events. Because we do have the best program on the Central Coast. With that, I'll introduce our newest advisor who will talk about the competition they had. She's nervous, but this is part of the training."
Officer Lia Welkom said, "Public speaking is not my favorite thing to do. I recently became the new advisor for the Explorers. A brief background about myself. I was an Explorer back in Santa Barbara County, and it is the reason I'm here today. This program means a lot to me. I'm very passionate about it, and I'm very proud of them.
November 12, 2024 City of Guadalupe Council Meeting Minutes Page 4 of 23 On October 26th, there was the Central Coast Explorers Competition at Cuesta College. There were 16 Explorers posts there...132 Explorers took part in it. We haven't done a competition in the last five (5) years. We actually did come home with some awards. For this competition, they had to demonstrate and excel in seven (7) different police scenarios for awards: (1) Suspicious Person Call scenario; (2) Domestic Dispute scenario; (3) Active Shooter Response scenario; (4) High Risk Vehicle Stop scenario; (5) Crime Scene Investigation scenario; (6) Crisis Negotiation scenario, and (7) DUI - Driving Under Influence scenario.
So, these Explorers learned how to do all these scenarios. We placed 4*h in 'Suspicious Person" call scenario...again, out of 16 Explorer groups. They also took 5th place in 'Handling Domestic Dispute' scenario. That's one of the most challenging scenarios. It's, unfortunately, a prevalent call that law enforcement does get. They handled it very, very well and came home with an award.
I want to mention Andreas again. We could not do all of this without these advisors. He has helped me so much. I actually could not run this program without him. So, thank you, Andreas Gutierrez.... really appreciate you. I wish Sgt. Medina was here today. A lot of these kids are squared away now.
I'm talking to the parents now. I love working with your children. They're amazing. They're very professional. They're very smart. I can only feed or give them information, but in the end, they have to receive it. In these scenarios, they prove to me that they take what I'm saying, and they're actually able to apply it. I'm very proud of them."
Chief Cash then said, "We have one Explorer..I'm not going to say a 'mini-me', but he took the challenge becoming a canine handler. He brought it up to me. He wanted to do it. Norma was our rater. He had to go through 8-9 scenarios with the dog, both with the dog on the leash and with the dog off the leash. He was outstanding. I took him to a foundation fundraiser in San Luis Obispo, and he did an outstanding job.
But the real backbone of this program...they're outstanding, but this is backbone sitting out here, the parents. Thank you for allowing us the opportunity to work with your children. This shows all of us...this is what it's all about, and this is what our real future is. So, thank you for the long nights.
Thank you for sewing for us...and for the food and for everything else. So, parents, thank you. I also want to thank the City Council for the support that keeps this program going, and we hope for the next group of youngster to come. Thank you."
At this point, each City Council Member stepped down from the dais to personally thank each of the 10 Explorers. Comments from the Council were: "Keep up the good work", "Good job", "Congratulations", "Awesome", and "Smallest department with the best Explorer group".
6. COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION FORUM
Request to Speak
George Alvarez: "Congratulations, Chief. Outstanding young people. If you noticed, there were five (5) young ladies in the Explorers. Thanks to our new officer that we have here. It's giving young ladies November 12, 2024 City of Guadalupe Council Meeting Minutes Page 5 of 23 inspiration for the future. It's a tough job. It's not easy. I'm enlightened to see our kids here step up and do the best they can.
I've been busy today. I've dealt with a homeless person. We've had a homeless young lady here. The first one here that I remember here. She's been here since 6-7:00 a.m. I've been working with different agencies to try to get her sheltered and what not. My main concern is that I don't want a new influx of homeless people in Guadalupe. There are problems because they're not vetted. They have civil liberties for the wrong reasons. I found out the hard way today how it works. We have monies that are being given to these organizations. They can't do anything about it because they have rights.
We don't have rights as the general public. We don't know if they're molesters, murderers, any form of criminal background, because they're special. So, that's the issue I found out today. I couldn't help because she didn't want to go the homeless shelter, and after I worked with her, she said, "Thank you but, you know, I don't want to go there...but do you have any weed?" Straight out drugs. That's one issue.
Public safety issues. Animal Control. We have animals running loose without leashes, and it's a bad thing. We spend $70K on animal control with the county. Where are they? What are they doing for the money? We have to fix this problem. I think we actually need to look into either cutting them out or go with another organization that could be cheaper.
Royal Theatre: I hope we're going to go forward with the small amount of money we have to fix it.
Let's get the thing going. Do something so we can get back to the public and say that with the amount of money that we have, we at least did this. Then go to Plan B and try to get the money from somewhere else.
Public Safety: We need more police officers. I was involved this morning trying to solve the problem with the young lady. I couldn't, because we only have one (1) officer. That officer was dealing with an investigation for an issue more hideous than the award they got for child molestation. This is what's going on in this town. I think we should have a little bit more transparency with the Police Department in their reports. And come out with the raw truth and the hideous aspects of what's going on in this community. It's not going to hurt us...it's going to help us. We have to educate the general public that there are predators in this community." Michael Roberts: "I live in the Pasadera area. I ride a bicycle. Some of you may know me from the ribbon cutting out at the beach. I also ride a motorcycle. On April 17, 2024, I was a victim of a car/motorcycle collision at the intersection of Obispo and Main Streets. On Saturday, November 2, 2024, there was another collision with a bicyclist where both of his legs were broken.
I emailed Gunner (last name was inaudible), who was the person from Gregg Hart's office. I also emailed Gregg Hart's office. I plan on going to Nipomo this coming Friday. I would like a 4-way stop at the intersection of Obispo and Main Streets. I don't know if the City of Guadalupe can do that, because it is a state highway. But I'm here, I'm asking, I'm just hoping something can be done. Thank you."
November 12, 2024 City of Guadalupe Council Meeting Minutes Page 6 of 23 Mayor Julian said, "Just a response.. CalTrans is working on that. We have been working steadily with them on that intersection. We know that if you're driving from Guadalupe to Main Street, a lot of the Pasadera folks are stopped there, because they can't get into the line to get to Santa Maria.
We're well aware of what's happening. For the 166 corridor, there's a report on the CalTrans website. It's about 1.5 years out for signalization. It's something we need right away, but it's only what CalTrans is able to do."
Mr. Roberts then asked, "Can we do anything before 2026?" Mayor Julian said, "There's another issue...maybe I shouldn't go into too much detail, because it's not on the agenda. We're working with CalTrans to do whatever they can to make sure these problems are remediated. Thank you for your comments."
7. CONSENT CALENDAR (A-C)
The following items are presented for City Council approval without discussion as a single agenda item in order to expedite the meeting. Should a Council Member wish to discuss or disapprove an item, it must be dropped from the blanket motion of approval and considered as a separate item.
A. Waive the reading in full of all Ordinances and Resolutions. Ordinances on the Consent Calendar will be adopted by the same vote cast as the first meeting unless City Council indicates otherwise.
B. Approve payment of warrants for the period ending November 1, 2024.
C. Approve the Minutes of the City Council regular meeting of October 22, 2024.
CM Hernandez pulled Item #7.B. Warrants. Motion was made by Council Member Robles and seconded by Council Member Hernandez to approve the balance of the Consent Calendar. 4-0
Absent: Costa, Jr. Motion passed.
CM Hernandez questioned expenses for "Clay's Septic & Jetting" on page 11 of the warrants. She asked for a brief update on the project at City Hall. There were expenses regarding "Jetting Blockage in Front of City Hall". CM Hernandez questioned the nature of those expenses. Mr. Bodem said "That's related to blockage in the men's restroom at City Hall. That's on the list to replace the entire line so it doesn't happen again. That will be with ARPA funds to replace the line. " CM Hernandez then asked, "Were there any problems in the women's restroom?" Mr. Bodem said that work done was only for the men's restroom.
Motion was made by Council Member Hernandez and seconded by Council Member Furness to approve Item 7.B. Warrants. 4-0 Absent: Costa, Jr. Motion passed.
MANAGEMENT REPORTS
8. CITY ADMINISTRATOR: (Information Only)
A. City Administrator's report for November 12, 2024
(Note: to view the complete report, please go to the City's website at www.cityofquadalupe.org) November 12, 2024 City of Guadalupe Council Meeting Minutes Page 7 of 23 The following are some of the items Mr. Bodem discussed:
Family Night: Pollution and Health Resource Fair: He and CM Hernandez attended this event which was held at Le Roy Park on November 8"h. He participated on a Q&A panel regarding air quality and environmental health. Results from soil sampling conducted at four (4) sites in Guadalupe were given.
Mayor Julian commented that Mr. Bodem did a good job on the panel. He said, "I know you don't consider yourself an expert. The Farm Bureau, APCD and others were on the panel. It was interesting.
They did some extensive studies on pesticides. Samples were taken and found that pesticides were not a problem. Air quality is also not a problem in Guadalupe. Also, the translation worked well there. " Mr. Bodem added, "I was impressed with CAUSE. Students were asking good questions. They were amazing. And the translation equipment, I thought, worked out pretty well.
Allan Hancock College Potential Class Offering: There is a potential plan for AHC to offer two (2) college courses and to have tutors and program assistants on site, along with faculty members. This potential offer may occur with Spring semester, starting in January and ending May 15th. A possible location is the Veterans Hall.
Wastewater Repair Follow-Up: The Biolac repair project which CM Costa, Jr. had asked for the status at the last meeting will be about 2-4 weeks before the contractors start the repairs.
Food Bank Grant (Community Food Project Competitive Grant Program): Isaias Rosas, Senior Center Coordinator, with Townsend Public Affairs, grant writing firm, and other key staff submitted a food bank application on November 4, 2024. The City is seeking to expand its food distribution center to establish a sustainable food system. It's a "1-on-1 match", and employee wages can serve as a match. The City can also use "in kind" matching funds.
City of Guadalupe Whale Tail Application: The City is requesting $16,000 in funding to support the Central Coast Stewards Project and two (2) field trips serving a total of 40 youth to the Monterey Bay Aquarium through their Free to Lean Program Partnership. (Recreation & Parks Commissioner, Emily Dreiling, CM Christina Hernandez and others helped in this grant writing project. The Project aims to spark interest in marine and coastal environment related STEM career tracks and couple that interest with upcoming employment demands here on the Central Coast. It is anticipated that the award notification will be around February 2025.
Upcoming Regional Economic Development Roundtable on November 15th. Mr. Bodem will be attending a Regional Economic Development Roundtable on Friday, November15th. This event will build on the roundtables they had in the spring and bring together leaders from across our two counties to collaborate on solutions.
November 12, 2024 City of Guadalupe Council Meeting Minutes Page 8 of 23 (Note: to view the complete statistical and narrative reports for Planning, Building and City Engineer, please go to the City's website at www.cityofquadalupe.org) B. Planning Department report for October 2024
C. Building Department report for October 2024
D. City Engineer's report for October 2024
Mayor Julian commented that it's good that the City Engineer's report is documented. People don't see what's moving, and there is a lot of movement. There's Central Park, Le Roy Park, Amtrak station...there's a lot going on."
9. DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC SAFETY: (Information Only)
A. Director of Public Safety report for November 12, 2024 (Note: to view the complete Director of Public Safety report, please go to the City's website at www.cityofquadalupe.org/
Chief Cash said, "I have my report submitted, but just some highlights." We have worked out a routing system with Finance for all the fire inspections. We're about approximately 98% in full compliance as far as people paying for those. At one time, those were in arrears for a couple of years. So, thank you to Finance.
Tobacco licenses are at 100% for all business that sell tobacco, making sure they have their payments in. Thank you for Finance's help on this issue, too.
The two (2) generators, one (1) specifically for City Hall and one (1) for the Police Department. Our vendor has already come out. We had a meeting with Todd's office, Finance and Building, so that we've kind of figured out where the funds were supposed to be and what's supposed to be paid for...and everything like that. So, that was a good meeting. Finally got everything squared away. The vendor was here and looked at all the different sites. The large generator, the one in front, we got that already checked off. And the one for the Police Department, that is now in the queue to be finished and, hopefully, back soon.
We had a visit Greenfield Police Chief who came down here. For the City of Guadalupe, we're about 10,000 residents. Our crime rate, but we have to add in quality of life and everything... we're between 15 and now 18 as one of the safest cities in the State of California. Greenfield has 20,000 residents.
They have similar demographics, but they're in the lower 20's as far as crime. So, it was somewhat interesting. The issue they had was their City Manager had sent their Police Chief down because of internal issues. Their Fire Chief is gone, and they're next in command. They wanted to come to see how we do it, which is kind of nice. We showed them everything. The Chief was really impressed...he wanted to recruit my lieutenant and take him back. That's not happening. It made us really glad... sometimes it's good to have that 'outside look'. He wants one of us to go up there to Greenfield to show how they can transform their department to work as a Public Safety Department. That was November 12, 2024 City of Guadalupe Council Meeting Minutes Page 9 of 23 really encouraging. (Mayor Julian asked if they said how much their budget was. Chief said, "No, they didn't say.")
SB 42 CARE Act: Governor Newsom signed this bill which makes changes to the CARE Act. Why this is important is that years ago, you may remember, there was a case from the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department. They released a young lady who was arrested for being drunk in public. They released her late at night and just put her out the back door. She ended up dead. Now there's a law that says that jails throughout California must provide people who are eligible for release during evening and nighttime hours with the option of remaining in a safe waiting area - not behind bars - until morning. This bill also requires jails to ensure thar the person who chose to be released can call family and friends to arrange transportation. (It was noted that women are particularly vulnerable to the dangers of late-night releases, including exploitation by traffickers.) At the Santa Barbara Police Chiefs' and Sheriff Association Meeting, data was given out regarding an update on overdose deaths in Santa Barbara County. Fentanyl is still taking its toll. But what stuck out more than anything is that methamphetamine usage is increasing in the County. Most methamphetamine deaths are between the ages of 50 to 60+. That caught me off guard. I didn't know that seniors were dying of meth related issues. So, that's something for us, all of us, to pay more attention in those kind of situations. That's just information that's out there.
Mayor Julian asked, "The report mentions Narcan...do we have that? Does PD have that? Our public safety have that?" Chief said, "Yes, we just switched out, because it has an expiration date. We have one in every police car, and the officers carry one (1) in their bags." CM Hernandez then asked, "'s it available to residents?" Chief Cash said, "To the general public, yes. I read that it's given out. I don't know that avenue." (CM Hernandez made additional comments, but, unfortunately, they were inaudible.) Chief Cash said, "Yes, not from us. I think people should have some. You'd be surprised what you can come across/
CM Hernandez asked, "For your next Director's report, could you please give us an update on security cameras?" Chief questioned what information was being requested. CM Hernandez said, "A yearly update. The ordinance says there will be a yearly update to the City Council." Chief said he'd comply with her request for his next report.
Mayor Julian said, "At last Thursday's food bank distribution, there were 237 families. 100 were new to the program. Kudos to the public safety staff. We have shopping carts for people to take. There were two (2) ladies who live on Gularte. They had their food in shopping carts and were going to take them all the way to Gularte and bring them back. Chief and his crew were there. They took them in their car to Gularte. You don't see that in a lot of communities. So, I appreciate public safety and the volunteers that are out there."
The mayor also said, "They want to...!'II go more into the Food Bank because they want to expand services here in Guadalupe. I mentioned this before...based on our economic status, we're not seen enough. One of the programs, the 'White House' is probably going to close. Then they're talking about having us, the City, pick it up, one way or another or the school. The school is actually interested in doing a program at McKenzie. Food distribution would be handled by the teachers and November 12, 2024 City of Guadalupe Council Meeting Minutes Page 10 of 23 students. That's forthcoming. But I appreciate the Chief and the City staff for taking those folks out to Gularte. You don't see that. And people appreciate that. Thank you, Chief." Request to Speak:
George Alvarez: I had to come back with what / witnessed and experienced this morning because of lack of police officers in this community. There was one (1) officer on duty. There was a horrendous accusation that occurred in the community that took the officer off the street to do an investigation.
No more officers. Once they're done, they come back to serve. That's not how a city should run.
We're not close to 10,000 people here. The rule has it...isn't it supposed to be that for every 1,000 residents, you have about one (1) police officer. I'm not specific about percentage, but one (1) officer per 1,000. For my calculations, we're four (4) officers behind that we should be having here on a regular basis. Having more officers generates income.especially in this town. People crossing the street. Speeding? One (1) officer can't do it. I don't know what it's going to take. Governing body...you're the ones who are going to decide for public safety. You guys are failing from that perspective.
We had on call on Saturday...I'm here in town. I know what's going on here. They called in because someone kidnapped a kid from Santa Maria who went to Guadalupe. Luckly, they had officers there on that end. That takes them away from downtown. Sooner or later something devastating is going to happen because of lack of...okay? Why? Find ways to get the money or the positions filled...at least two (2) of the four (4) we need, so we have two (2) officers everyday here to take care of business. You can generate money by ticketing...god knows you could make enough day by the number of U-turns that happen. That's all I wanted to...and transparency. I think the general public needs to understand what's going on in this community. You can't hide things that are hideous. It happens. Please let us know what's going on. So, if we have a lot of people under Megan's Law, at least the schools...everyone knows at least where these clowns are at. And the kids, the community is protected. That's all I care about.
And be careful of the homeless situation. They're unvetted. They're good people. I'm not harping on them as individuals. I'm just talking about what can happen if you don't know what you're doing with a group of people. We still have not had the Director of Homeless Mental Health talk to the Chief and set up a situation where they can just walk around town, take care of the homeless. They get $15million a year. We don't. We need their help. Thank you.
10. RECREATION SERVICES MANAGER: (Information Only)
A. Recreation and Parks report for October 2024
(Note: to view the full Recreation Services Manager report, go to the City's website at www.cityofquadalupe.org)
The following are some of the items Ms. Barajas discussed:
November 12, 2024 City of Guadalupe Council Meeting Minutes Page 11 of 23 Drop-In volleyball and basketball are doing very well. I want to thank Joe Harris for coming every single time to provide the kids with the opportunity, and adults, to spend a couple of hours playing sports that they like every single week.
New to this month is Zumba with Monica. She used to do Zumba at the Boys & Girls club through a grant from Dignity Health. When that ran out, she couldn't provide services anymore. The Recreation Council was able to give me her contact information and we started that. There have been about 26- 27 at each class. A good majority of them, just like line dancing, are senior citizens. I love the fact that even though we have our Senior Center and other things going on, they're still using the recreation services and enjoying them. We're seeing a lot of repeats. They're putting this on their schedule and making it a regular routine.
About two months ago, we started doing activities, two Wednesdays per month, at 1:15 p.m. School gets out at 1:10 p.m. on Wednesdays. We wanted to provide something that they could do before they went home. We've been having a great turnout. Last month we had pumpkin decorating. There were over 100 people in the auditorium. We made over 200 oz. of popcorn. That was a huge hit with the hungry kids. This past Wednesday we had game day. It wasn't just sports but board games.
Different things like that. There were about 50 kids plus adults. They were sitting down at tables playing games with their kids. Some of them didn't know how to play the games, and they asked how to play them. I showed the different parents how to play them. They walked away thinking they wanted to go to the store and buy the game, because they had so much fun playing the game with their kids. It was so great to see that interaction between the parents and the children doing these things that they hadn't done before, even if it was a simple board game.
Arnulfo Navarro is no longer with Family Services Agency, because the grant was finished. However, he is continuing with Poetry Jam every other month. He said he just had his Poetry Jam on Friday. He says he averages about 20 people...slowly increasing. We're working on trying to get more youth involved. It doesn't have to be a rhyming little poetry. It could be lyrics to a song, rapping or anything that comes to mind. We're working on that for the Spring.
On Wednesday, November 13th, the 3rd of 4th series of our art program: Tie-Dye Art Class. Kids will be learning how to tie-dye totes. This art program has been a hit. It has been full every single month that we've had it.
Friday, November 15'h is "Movie Night". Jump on our recreation page to vote for the move you want to see. The movie will start at 6:00 p.m. inside so you'll be nice and warm.
Holiday Home Decoration Contest - there will be three (3) categories: (1) Home Spun Holiday - depiction of traditional holiday; (2) California Dreaming - that's like a spectacular light display with music and motion, and (3) Simple Christmas - something that envelopes the Christmas spirit. To learn more about the contest, go to our website at cityofguadalupe.org/recreation-department- events and you will also see an application. The Recreation Commission will be judging the applicants. The winner will be announced the night of the Kiwanis Christmas Parade or the following night on Sunday.
November 12, 2024 City of Guadalupe Council Meeting Minutes Page 12 of 23 On Wednesday, November 27%, there will be "Arts & Crafts"... 10-12 different crafts will be available.
Kids can come and choose whatever they want to do. The Recreation staff will be there to help them out.
Saturday, December 14™ is the Kiwanis Christmas Parade, starting at 6:00 p.m. Kiwanis is asking for applications to participate in their parade. The applications can be found on their website. Even though it's not a Recreation Department event, it is something where we can all come together as a community.
Mayor Julian asked, 'Is the parking lot downtown, the Veterans Memorial Plaza, where all the festivities will be after the parade?" Ms. Barajas said, "Yes, everything will be at the parking lot there."
The mayor then asked, "You said something about ornament making? What happens there?" Ms.
Barajas said, "That's for December. I gave you that now, because December is right around the corner. Like other Wednesday programs, it'll start at 1:15 p.m. and continue until 3:00 p.m. and kids can design Christmas ornaments. If they don't want to make it a Christmas ornament, they can decorate an ornament any which way. Supplies will be available. All events for November and December are posted. All are on the City's website and social media. I'm half-way through January and already looking forward through the month of May. I'm just trying to get things organized so that we're caught up.
Todd, Juana and Garret have all coordinated to get the calendar back on the website. So, it's not only on the front page all the way at the bottom, including City business, but we also put the recreation information there. And you can also find that same calendar connected on the Recreation page. So, you can see, at a glance, every month. You can see what's happening as a whole versus all these different flyers.
Also, Todd wanted everyone to know that he was really good at pickleball last week when we were practicing.
Mayor Julian asked Chief Cash if there would be any "roadblocks" with CalTrans for the Kiwanis parade. Chief Cash said, "Actual roadblocks or is that a euphemism?" The mayor said that it was a euphemism. Chief Cash then said, "Right now, no. We're trying something new. It was nice to talk with the first parade people, Comité. We had a meeting with Kiwanis today. It was real quick. We explained that we always seem to be waiting until the last minute to turn the paperwork in. There's always issues, so this year I took it all..the entire process to get the parade approved. I made the whole package and found a supervisor at CalTrans, so we have a one-on-one. Now everything is completed. It's where it should be.
The only thing that CalTrans has are some new issues, but we're working through them. One is for the City Engineer's approval. Before, he just had to stamp the traffic plan. Now every page of the application needs to be stamped and signed which was new. CalTrans has a training program for anyone directing traffic. But they only have one (1) trainer in Santa Maria, in Ventura and north of San Luis Obispo. I said that wasn't practical. Plus, we're all police officers, and we're all trained. The way it works out is that I have to promise to be there myself to take responsibility for our Explorers November 12, 2024 City of Guadalupe Council Meeting Minutes Page 13 of 23 and police officers so they can call me...that I'm onsite during the parade. Also, we worked with both groups to start wearing vests, so people know who the people are who are running both of those parades instead of looking at us. Once roadway is closed, it's definitely closed. Caltrans is also checking on that. We had some problems at the last parade. There were some vendors who came late and wanted to go to Le Roy Park once the roads were closed. CalTrans is working with us now that I know who is in the supervisor spot.
The thing that we have to figure out, which both groups said which I thought was great, we have to make this a system type of program and not built on an individual. People move around. We need to figure out how we put this whole package in a system, so when new people come in our shop, all you have to do is hit a button, everything is there pre-filled. That's something that we still need to work out. Todd and I can work out where we can memorialize this, so that it's easy to do for future parades."
Chief Cash also asked for those riding in the parade to let him know so he can plan for it, get "Granny" ready and prep the space.
11. HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGER: (Information Only)
A. Human Resources report for October 2024
Ms. Estrada reporting on the following:
Interviews are scheduled for Police Officer/Recruit. Fire Engineer recruiting is ongoing with one applicant interviews and one (1) being screened. There are potentially three (3) candidates for the Public Works Director to be scheduled this month.
Facility Rental Coordinator applications are being screened. An offer was extended but declined for the Grant Administrator with recruitment now continuing.
A new MOU with POA (Police Officers Association) has been completed and negotiations has ended.
Medical treatment for one (1) injury was reported for October. One of the two long-term claims may have some movement in the near future.
Premiums for Dental & Vision Plans for 2025 remain the same as this year.
CPR/First Aid and Fire Extinguisher training was conducted the first week of November. There was good feedback on the training. Other classes are being scheduled.
The Harvest Potluck took place on October 31st, Juan Esparza was honored as the first recipient of the "Employee Recognition Program". The next one will be scheduled in January, attached to training.
PUBLIC HEARING
November 12, 2024 City of Guadalupe Council Meeting Minutes Page 14 of 23
12. Public hearing to consider amendments to the Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) Ordinance (Chapter
18.53) and other zoning ordinance amendments.
Written report: Larry Appel, Contract Planning Director Recommendation: That the City Council:
a. Receive presentation from staff; and
b. Conduct a public hearing and 1) approve a Notice of Exemption from CEQA for Ordinance No. 2024-521; and 2) introduce by title only and waive the first reading of Ordinance No. 2024-521 amending Chapter 18.53 of the Municipal Code and other sections of Title 18; and c. Continue Ordinance No. 2024-521 to November 26, 2024, for second reading and adoption. (Note: to view the complete staff report and changes to the ordinance, please go to the City's website at www.cityofquadalupe.org)
Mr. Appel began the presentation saying that over the last seven (7) years, we ve been talking about Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) changes from the state. The significant changes to the ADU program include: a) a permanent removal of the "owner-occupied" requirements for attached and detached ADUs; (b) a provision for the separate sale of detached ADUs; (c) a significant increase in the number of detached ADUs in multi-family developments; (d) relaxation of regulations for ADUs constructed without permits, and (e) requiring a provision for pre-approved ADUs for expedited approval.
A bill was recently signed in September 2024 that will require the City to be in compliance by January 1, 2025. If everything works out right, the first reading will be tonight. The second reading will be at the November 26th meeting. Ordinances take thirty days before going into effect. So, by December 26th, we'll be ready with our ordinance to be effective January 1, 2025.
There are currently over 121 ADUs that have been approved in Guadalupe through October 2024.
For our population being only 8,000 or 10,000 people, this is a lot. Some of the changes are going to make it even more dense if people take advantage of it. If Guadalupe is not in compliance, our ordinance will be considered "null and void"
There is a language change. An additional definition has been added for "Livable Space". That was added because part of the state ordinance when it talks about multi-family units says you can have additional units, either JADUs or attached ADUs, that are within livable area and non-livable area.
The non-livable area was like laundry rooms, storage rooms, garage conversions and things like that.
There's now a distinction between livable and non-livable which will make it easier when someone comes in with an apartment project.
There are nine (9) amendments having to do with ADUs that are necessary to bring the local ordinance into full compliance with the state. Mr. Appel briefly went through those amendments:
November 12, 2024 City of Guadalupe Council Meeting Minutes Page 15 of 23
1. The most significant is the separate sale for a detached ADU. This was something that had been allowed if you were a non-profit, like People Self-Help or something like that. If they own the primary property, and they own the primary home where the ADU is being developed onsite, they had the right under state law to sell them separately. Now that the governor has signed the bill, any homeowner can sell a detached ADU separately from their own property.
2. Another change that supports the first one is that it permanently drops the owner having to live onsite whether attached or detached ADU. If a Junior ADU (JADU), which is one that is contained in the home, the owner still has to live on the property, either in the JADU or the primary home.
3. This is a clarification of previous wording which said that on a single-family lot, you could have a JADU, and an ADU, an attached ADU or a detached ADU. The state came back and said they meant that you could be able to have a JADU, an attached ADU and a detached ADU. Three (3) additional units can be on a single-family lot. If there's room to put them there, they're allowed to have up to four (4) units on a single-family lot. It's legal now. This totally changes the character of the single-family neighborhood when you have that, because when you've seen in the past, the state has pretty much thrown out parking requirements. So, that throws the cars on the street, on the front lawn or something, and it doesn't look good. But that's what it is now.
4. The next one is when a JADU is developed in an existing home, they're clarifying that it doesn't have to be a conversion of a bedroom. It could be a family room, a bonus room, or something else. But you don't have to start with the basis that you have to start with a bedroom conversion for a JADU.
5. In the past, when you had a multi-family unit developed on a property, you could have two (2) additional ADUs on the site. The Alvarez family did that recently on 11th Street. They have 20 units of apartments, and they added two (2) ADUs. What this portion of the ordinance now has is that it says you take those two units that you can have as extra, and you can increase that to eight (8). It's unfortunate again, because it really crowds the properties. In addition to that, the original provision says that 25% of your units, you can have an additional ADUs attached to those apartments.
Mr. Bodem asked, "How does that affect open area for draining, storm water, when you have many surface level roofs?" Mr. Appel said, "Our ordinance says that every ADU that you develop needs to have 150 sq. feet of outside livable area. Now the state is saying you don't have to have that. So, through our Administrative Use Permit (AUP), we're supposed to now go through and if they don't have the full amount and approve a ministerial, like a minor conditional use permit, and that's how we'd take care of conditions where they're not completely with our provisions for development standards. We've lost consistency, which is very frustrating.
6. All new ADUs are required to install solar on the roof of the ADU or the primary home.
November 12, 2024 City of Guadalupe Council Meeting Minutes Page 16 of 23
7. The next change clarifies the size of an ADU. When you're using an ADU to convert an existing garage, barn, or shed or whatever bonus building you have on your property, under our ordinance, the maximum size of an ADU is 1200 sq. ft. This new law says if you have an 1800 sq. foot barn on your property, you don't have to cordon off 600 sq. ft. of that and call it something else. You can use the full square footage for the ADU. There are some minor provisions where you can't add additional space, if it goes over what the local agency allows.
8. The next one is "Pre-Approved Plan". This is something trying to make the process faster for the applicant coming in. What they're telling the cities and counties what they have to do now is that you have to have a pre-approved set of plans. It could be for multi-detached ADUs, but to meet the test, you only need to have one. And we're going to have one (1). I'm working with a local draftsman to get a copy of one of his that he's had approved out here. I don't know if it's going to be like 800 or 900 sq. ft. but it will be a one (1) bedroom. We'll have those plans available, so if someone walks up to the counter and says they want to do an ADU in their backyard, we can say that we have a set of plans that are pre-approved. We I tell them they need to bring in a site plan to show how that will fit in their yard. We'll analyze it, but It'll save time, because you no longer have to go through the plan check process, which would save a month or so. And the state is saying with those plans, we don't have 60 days to process it...we have 30 days now. So, it's cut in half.
Mayor Julian asked, "We can charge for that?" Mr. Appel said, "We can still charge our full rate, but I don't think we need to for the plan check process, obviously, because it's already done. It will still need a zoning clearance."
9. The final amendment deals with units that were constructed without permit. In the past, the rule says if it was constructed prior to January 1, 2018, the state would still allow you to get that processed if there were no health and safety violations. Now that's changed... so from January 2018 to January 2020, they're now allowing a larger window for illegal units to be brought into legality. If someone comes in with an application and says, "The last person who bought this property and built an ADU, and I want to get it legalized", then we'd send an inspector out, and they would be given a list that would show if they had any health and safety violations. If they did, we'd have to give them a letter that says specifically what they have to do clear things up. If not, they can just get it approved with a zoning clearance and a building permit.
Another portion of that bill required that each agency have a list that we could hand out that would tell future owners that want to build what some of those standards would be, so that if they were going to build, they could comply with the regulations for a legal unit. Mayor Julian asked if we had that list. Mr. Appel said that it was just put up on the City's website, under "Building Department".
Mr. Appel then mentioned a couple additional changes. Under "Temporary Uses", we really didn't have a really good section of...sometimes a circus comes to town. It would be nice if we had a permit we could issue them. A section here in the ordinance gives us an opportunity to approve a mechanism November 12, 2024 City of Guadalupe Council Meeting Minutes Page 17 of 23 so we can have temporary events approved with an Administrative Use Permit (AUP) which I get to approve...it doesn't have to go to the City Council. That's a section we added.
Then the final section is something that came up a few years ago where someone wanted to operate a hostel for bicyclists and hikers coming through town. Some of you may know that every once and a while, we end up having a tent set up back out here on the lawn for people passing through town.
I just wanted to get ahead of this one, so if someone comes back and actually wants to offer this, we have the right zoning for it. So, that's been added to the ordinance.
Mr. Appel said, "For fiscal impact, there really is no new impact on these. Our biggest concern from the last couple round of revisions is we're not allowed to assess fees for ADUs that are 750 sq. ft. or smaller. So, we're missing out on a lot of revenues for that. For environmental reviews, staff used the Class 6 categorical exemption for CEQA, so we're clear on that." Mr. Bodem asked, "Have there been any stuies to assess whether ADUs have helped with the housing crisis?" Mr. Appel said, "I'm sure they have, because they're a lot of them. The last time we did an update, I checked with Santa Maria. They had already processed 200 in that year. Agencies are getting hit all over, but they are adding to the housing stock. It has to be making a difference. It's just not the 10 million units or whatever.../ don't know what we can actually do. I have to recommend approval of this, because I don't want to drop compliance with the state. But in the back of my mind, I'm just worried about what's going to happen in our single-family neighborhoods, if people take advantage of this."
Public Hearing opened at 7:20 p.m. and closed at 7:21 p.m.
CM Hernandez said, "I know that ADUs can be challenging. I recently read that Santa Mara added a standard saying that Windows and doors can't have direct line of sight to any adjoining property'.
Does Guadalupe have something like that in ours?" Mr. Appel said, "No, I don't believe so, because most properties are fenced. Most ADUs are single-story. I think if we ended up having a two-story, we would have a requirement of the height of the windows of those units raised, so there wouldn't be direct vision into someone's backyard. When / worked in Santa Maria, we had a couple of these, and we didn't have a provision for it at the time. But we did go ahead and add conditions to the ADU that would have prevented that problem."
CM Hernandez then said, "So, is that something we could add? I was just curious, because / know there's an ADU in front of me, and I think I can see their restroom window. But then they added their garage to be a living, as well. So, now you have three (3) different families. So, I'm just...moving forward, if there's something we can do to just make sure that our families can have some privacy?" Mr. Appel said, "In the next round, I can certainly add a provision to the development standards that will talk about second-story windows."
Mayor Julian said, 'It's surprising to see how many ADUs we've processed here. Last year it was what, only 30 or 40, and now it's tripled." CM Hernandez added, "I want to share that I understand November 12, 2024 City of Guadalupe Council Meeting Minutes Page 18 of 23 that it's very hard for everyone as we see more ADUs. My daughter was telling me, Mom, we don't have parking' but I said that that's okay, because the family in front of us...there's three (3) families into one home. I said how comfortable can that be? I have my family and comfortability. Some of these individuals, in order to survive, they're having to do that." The mayor said, "So, all you do is put garbage cans in the front, so nobody parks there, where you park." Motion was made by Council Member Hernandez and seconded by Council Member Furness to approve amendments to Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADFU) Ordinance (Chapter 18.53) and other zoning ordinance amendments and waive the first reading of Ordinance No. 2024-521. Roll Call:
Ayes: 4 Nos: 0 Absent: Costa, Jr. 4-0-1 Motion passed.
Mr. Appel said, "This ordinance will be on the Consent Calendar at the next meeting in two (2) weeks.
The final copy will have the redlined sections scratched out, so you'll see what the actual copy will look like." Mayor Julian said, "I don't know how you can sit and think what's coming down from the state, digest it, and put it all down on paper. It's a tough one. All the cities are fighting this. It's basically, you got to do it, or they'll do it for us." Mr. Appel added, "And we don't want that to happen." The mayor concurred.
REGULAR BUSINESS
13. Guadalupe Police Officers Association (GPOA) Memorandum of Understanding.
Written report: Sylvia Estrada, Human Resources Manager Recommendation: That the City Council adopt Resolution No. 2024-65 approving a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Guadalupe Police Officers Association (GPOA) for the period of September 28, 2024, through June 30, 2027.
Ms. Estrada gave a brief background on this item. The previous MOU with the GPOA expired on June 30, 2024. Management and GOA have met numerous times reaching consensus on a new MOU.
The new agreed upon terms of the MOU are:
• Term: Three (3) years - September 28, 2024 to June 30, 2027. • Salary Increases: 3% increase retroactive to August 24, 2024; 3% increase effective July 1, 2025 and 3% increase effective July 1, 2026. These increases are for all GPOA employees. • Compensatory Time: Employees may cash out comp time, up to a maximum of 200 hours, every three (3) calendar months. (The change is from "up to a maximum of 150 hours" in the prior MOU.)
• Uniform Administration: A full-time employee will receive $24 per pay period. (The change is from $23 per pay period in the prior MOU.) Uniform allowance is increased from $400 bi- annually to $425 bi-annually.
November 12, 2024 City of Guadalupe Council Meeting Minutes Page 19 of 23 • Medical Insurance: The City's contribution will increase from $1,083.33 $1,269.08 per month, a monthly increase of $185.75. In calendar year 2026, if there is an increase in the insurance premium, the City's contribution will increase up to a maximum of 5%. • Movie/Special Events Assignments: Employees will be compensated at overtime rate versus a flat $40.00 per hour in the prior MOU.
• Shift Differential: The rate will increase from $1.00 to $1.25 per hour. (This rate is for the shift covering 1900 - 0700 hours.)
Ms. Estrada stated that the fiscal impact for this new 3-year term MOU is $56,900 for the salary increases; $15,561 for the increase in the City's contribution to medical insurance premiums, and $988 for uniform allowance and maintenance increases.
Mr. Bodem added, "Overall, it was a pretty expedited process. Having a three-year term is a good deal." Mayor Julian concurred. CM Furness asked, "For movie and special events assignments...! know we talked about this at length...! just want to make sure. Was it decided that for any movie or special event, they'd be compensated their overtime rate? Is that time and one-half? Or did we decide that it was just regular hours?" Ms. Estrada said, "It will be at the overtime rate." CM Furness wanted clarification as this had been discussed several times previously.
Motion was made by Council Member Robles and seconded by Council Member Furness to approve Resolution No. 2024-65 adopting a Memorandum of Understanding with the Guadalupe Police Officers Association. Roll Call: 4 Nos: 0 Absent: Costa, Jr. 4-0-1 Motion passed.
14. Conflict Waiver to allow City Attorney to provide no-cost legal services to the Guadalupe Community Action Coalition (GCAC).
Written report: Philip F. Sinco, City Attorney
Recommendation: That the City Council adopt Resolution No. 2024-66 waiving any conflicts of interest that may arise as a result of the City Attorney also providing legal services (at no cost) to the Guadalupe Community Action Coalition (GCAC) to assist it with its mission to work with the City and in support of the City's community and economic initiatives until it gain sufficient capacity to be able to obtain and pay for other legal counsel.
At the beginning of City Attorney Sinco's presentation on this item, he said, "It is my normal practice or one of my preferred practices to put alternative actions with the recommendation. I kind of wish I'd put in alternative action to deny this. I didn't give you that option, but I'm letting you know you have it. I'm joking a little bit. I'm not exactly jumping up and down to say, 'Let me volunteer my services that normally charge money for free'. I wouldn't do that in many circumstances other than any pro bono situations. But in many ways, this is one of those situations. He then continued discussing this item.
November 12, 2024 City of Guadalupe Council Meeting Minutes Page 20 of 23 The Council knows it created this corporation with the goal of assisting the City with the mission of community and economic development. The City Council approved a $10,000 forgivable loan to ensure that it had funds to begin its operations. We know how far $10,000 goes in today's economy.
The name of this non-profit corporation is the Guadalupe Community Action Coalition (GCAC). The Board of Directors started to implement its mission but ran into some obstacles. The City Administrator has reported some of these and certainly sent emails to the Council.
It occurred to staff that it would be very beneficial for the corporation to have some guidance on what's proper non-profit law practice procedure. And, unfortunately, I'm qualified to do that. I serve on several non-profit boards, and I'm often called upon to provide legal advice to these non-profits.
So, l've gained some experience. Normally, I would offer my services to GCAC. Even though I wouldn't be compensated, they would be a client. I would have a duty of loyalty and fiduciary responsibility or responsibility to them. I can't do that without the consent of a current client. They might have a conflict. It's unlikely. As I said in my staff report that there could be a conflict between the organization in its mission to support the City and its goals. But it is possible. There could be some conflicts of opinion, but that doesn't certainly rise to the level of conflict of interest.
In this case, City Council would be quite safe in waiving any potential conflicts or any actual conflicts which might arise as a result of my representation. I really don't want to go into detail. It's very legalistic. It's all on paper. I assume you've read it and understand it. But I am able to answer any questions you have about this. Just so you know, if you approve this conflict waiver, the Board of the GCAC will also be asked to waive any conflicts in its meeting on Thursday which I'm planning on attending in person.
Mayor Julian said, "Thank you for doing this. Once it passes, we'll... Are there any questions?" CM Robles said, "Thank you for the clarification." City Attorney Sinco said, "I don't intend for this to be a long-term assignment." Mr. Bodem added, "The GCAC is in favor of this, obviously." Motion was made by Council Member Hernandez and seconded by Council Member Furness to approve Resolution 2024-66 waiving any conflicts of interest and authorizing the City Attorney to provide legal services at no cost to the Guadalupe Community Action Coalition. Roll Call: Ayes: 4 Nos: 0 Absent: 1 Costa, Jr. 4-0-1 Motion passed.
15. FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS
Mayor Julian - Food Truck and Special Events Ordinance (sidewalk vending). The mayor said, "I'd like to see that come before us. What had happened in the past, we talked about the food vendors on wheels. Many years ago, there was an effort to...one of them parked across the street from Masatani's and Guadalupe Restaurant..parked right in town on a public street. And we didn't put any teeth in that ordinance, so that's coming back. One of the reasons, there's been...it's called "SB 972" and "SB 946". All these vendors we see on the road now, the state basically says they can do that. You see them coming in from Santa Maria on the left side where there are lights. What happens is that...and I'll go into more detail. That will be on a future agenda.
No other items were added.
November 12, 2024 City of Guadalupe Council Meeting Minutes Page 21 of 23
16. ANNOUNCEMENTS - COUNCIL ACTIVITY/COMMITTEE REPORTS
CM Hernandez: This past Friday, I attended the Air Quality Fair with my family. It was amazing. It was a little disheartening to see not a lot of people show up. I know it was a busy Friday right before the election.
This weekend, the "Touch of Style Car Club" event celebrated their 50th anniversary and 20th year with "Toys for Tots". That's just amazing for this organization to support the Boys & Girls Club and donating for 20 years. So, kudos to them.
I also attended a "Santa Maria Riverkeepers" event put on by SBCAG. They are forming a new group called "Santa Maria Riverkeepers" to protect and enhance the Santa Maria River. They will work on habitat restoration, water quality, and solutions to flooding. They have an upcoming planning day on November 23rd, from 8:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. You can find more information on www.SBCAG.org CM Robles: Guadalupe Bulldogs youth football program finished their season. Unfortunately, they came up shy of punching a ticket to the Super Bowl to go on to the next round. Hats off to the whole program. We had an Intermediate Team that went undefeated, and they met their match last Saturday. The Senior Team came up close with strong showing. They put an undefeated Nipomo team "on notice". They were actually behind and came back. It went back and forth and just came up short. Kudos to parents and coaches.
Mayor Julian: SBCAG has a lot going on. Their monthly meeting is Thursday, November 21st. A committee is challenging Senate Bill 972, Compact Mobile Food Operations. (City of Santa Barbara experience.) There are issues with the Health Department. A Santa Barbara multi-agency task force will research and pinpoint helpful changes for state legislation with join messaging to discourage patronage. This task force will report back in six (6) months.
State Route 166 Stakeholder Advisory Committee Members: SBCAG received $250,000 CalTrans Planning Grant to do the "Comprehensive Sate Route Corridor Conceptual Decision-Making Process".
This committee will consider planning for such things as safety, mobility, access management, greenhouse gas emissions reductions, dust abatement and agricultural goods movement. Local representatives on the committee are Judy Wilson, GBA, and Garett Matsuura, (SMVR). Please contact them with any questions or concerns.
November 7h Food Bank Distribution: previously discussed. Expand food distribution services to Guadalupe residents based on our low-income population. Working with the School District to expand services. Discussions are ongoing.
17. ADJOURNMENT TO CLOSED SESSION
Item to be discussed in closed session is "Public Employment - City Administrator".
November 12, 2024 City of Guadalupe Council Meeting Minutes Page 22 of 23 Motion was made by Council Member Hernandez and seconded by Council Member Robles to adjourn to closed session. 4-0 Absent: Costa, Jr. Motion passed. Meeting adjourned to closed session at 7:42 p.m.
18. CLOSED SESSION AGENDA
A. Public Employment
(Pursuant to Government Code Section 54957(b))
Title: City Administrator
19. ADJOURNMENT TO OPEN SESSION MEETING
Motion was made by Council Member Furness and seconded by Council Member Robles to adjourn to open session. 4-0 Absent: Costa, Jr. Motion passed. Meeting adjourned to open session at 7:50 p.m.
20. CLOSED SESSION ANNOUNCEMENTS
No reportable action.
21. ADJOURNMENT
Motion was made by Council Member Furness and seconded by Council Member Robles to adjourn the meeting. 4-0 Absent: Costa, Jr. Motion passed. Meeting adjourned at 7:51 p.m.
Prepared by: Approved by:
Amelia M. Villegas, City Clerk. Ariston Julian, Mayor
November 12, 2024 City of Guadalupe Council Meeting Minutes Page 23 of 23