City Council Special Meeting
City of Lafayette
City Council
Lafayette City Offices
3675 Mt. Diablo Boulevard, Ste. 240
Lafayette, California
Thursday, August 20, 2026
5:00
p.m.
August 20, 2026 City Council Special Meeting Action Agenda August 20, 2026 City Council Special Meeting Agenda w/ Zoom Link
1. Watch or Listen: As a courtesy the meetings are broadcast on the City of Lafayette’s YouTube Channel: http://bit.ly/LoveLafayetteYouTube.
2. Submit Comments Before the Meeting: Members of the public can provide public comment by sending an e-mail to [email protected] for City Council meetings no later than noon the day of the meeting. Those e-mails will be distributed to City Council, the City Manager, and the City Attorney, and will be posted as part of the public record.
3. Live Remote Public Comments: Members of the public may submit live public comment via Zoom conferencing by using the link below. You may download the Zoom app or software, or use the browser interface, or telephone call in. Zoom meetings can be accessed by telephone, computer, or smart device. When the Mayor invites public comment for the item on which you would like to comment, please use the "raise hand" feature (or press *9 if connecting via telephone only) to alert staff you have a public comment to provide. Each speaker is allowed three (3) minutes to speak.
4. At the time and date of the meeting, please click this URL to join the webinar: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85392210407?pwd=Blg2TzmPYN6KaMgY0g6qvIbaAC7tHU.1 Passcode: 426199 Or join by phone: Dial 1 669 900 9128 Webinar ID: 853 9221 0407 Passcode: 426199 1)
Call to Order 5:00 PM
2)
Roll Call
3)
Circumstances Pursuant to AB 2449 (Gov. Code section 54953(f).) 4)
Adoption of Agenda
5)
Staff Reports
A.
Joanne Robbins, City Clerk
Consider Resolution 2026-50 to Appoint Candidates in Lieu of Election and Cancelling the November 3, 2026 General Election Pursuant to Elections Code ?10229 Recommendation:
1) Adopt Resolution 2026-50 Appointing James Cervantes and Stella Wotherspoon to the four-year Councilmember terms ending in 2030 and Mario DiPrisco to the two-year Councilmember term ending in 2028, and cancelling the November 3, 2026 General Municipal Election for these offices or 2) Decline to adopt the resolution and continue to hold the General Municipal Election on November 3, 2026.
Item 5A
B.
Joanne Robbins, City Clerk
Consider revising the City Council?s August 10, 2026 designation of the City?s Voting Delegate and Alternate for the League of California City Annual Conference, September 23-25, 2026 Recommendation:
Discuss and direct the City Clerk to notify the League of California Cities of any changes to Lafayette?s Voting Delegate and Alternate for the 2026 Annual Conference.
Item 5B
C.
Niroop Srivatsa, City Manager
1. Resolution 2026-52 - Support for California Tort Reform Efforts Recommendation:
Adopt Resolution 2026-52 establishing a City tort liability legislative and political platform; authorize the City to add is name and logo to the Protect Public Funds Coalition letter; and authorize the City Manager or designee to advocate for tort reform measures consistent with the adopted platform.
Item 5C1
2. Proposed Wildfire Liability Reform - Local Government Cost Recovery Recommendation:
1) Authorize the City Manager to communicate the City's concern to the Governor, Legislature, Cal Cities, CSAC, and other stakeholders regarding potential legislation that could limit local governments' ability to recover extraordinary costs resulting from utility-caused wildfires and shift those costs to local taxpayers; and 2) If legislation is introduced that would limit local governments' ability to recover extraordinary costs resulting from utility-caused wildfires, authorize the City Manager to communicate the City's opposition to the legislation to the Governor, Legislature, Cal Cities, CSAC, and other stakeholders.
Item 5C2
6)
Adjournment
I, Joanne Robbins, declare under penalty of perjury that this agenda has been posted at least 72 hours in advance of a Regular Meeting and 24 hours in advance of a Special Meeting at the Lafayette City Offices, 3675 Mt. Diablo Blvd., Suite 210, Lafayette, CA. in the glass case and on the City website https://www.lovelafayette.org/ .
Location of Agendas and Agenda Packets: Agendas and packets shall be made available at least 72 hours in advance of regular meetings and 24 hours in advance of special meetings on the City website https://www.lovelafayette.org/ .
Any writings or documents pertaining to an open session item provided to a majority of the City Council less than 72 hours prior to the meeting, shall be made available on the City website https://www.lovelafayette.org/ All comments received by the close of the public comment period will be available after the meeting as supplemental materials and will become part of the official meeting record. Please note that due to the remote nature of the meeting, the City of Lafayette cannot guarantee that the network or its site will not experience technical interruptions. To ensure that the City Council receives your comments, we strongly encourage you to submit your comments in writing in advance of the meeting.
Upon request, this agenda will be made available in appropriate alternative formats to persons with disabilities, as required by Section 202 of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. Sec. 12132). Any person with a disability who requires a modification or accommodation in order to participate in a meeting should direct such request to Joanne Robbins, City Clerk at (925) 284-1968 as soon as possible before the meeting.
Upon request, this agenda will be made available in appropriate alternative formats to persons with disabilities, as required by Section 202 of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. Sec. 12132). Any person with a disability who requires a modification or accommodation in order to participate in a meeting should direct such request to Joanne Robbins, City Clerk at (925) 299-3210 at least 48 hours
before the meeting, if possible.
General Information for Public Meetings
Location of Agendas and Agenda Packets:
Agenda and packets are available for review by the public during regular work hours at the Lafayette City Offices, 3675 Mt. Diablo Blvd., Suite 210. Agendas and packets shall be made available at least 72 hours in advance of each meeting.
Board
1 Discussion:
In accordance with State Law, the Board is generally prohibited from discussing and making decisions regarding items not posted on the agenda. Exceptions include items of urgency that become known to the Board after the posting of the agenda; discussion of such items requires a 2/3rds affirmative vote by the Board.
Persons Wishing to Speak:
Any person may address the Board on any item listed on this agenda. Persons wishing to address the Board should complete a speaker slip and submit it to the City staff. In addressing the Board, speakers should step to the podium and state their names and addresses for the record.
Public Comments on Agenda Items:
Persons wishing to speak on items listed on the agenda will be heard when called by the meeting chair. After the public has commented, the item will be closed to public comment and brought to the Board for discussion and action. There is no further comment permitted from the audience unless invited by the meeting chair.
Public Comments on Non-Agenda Items:
Persons wishing to speak on matters not posted on this agenda are encouraged to submit the matter in writing to the City Clerk or staff aide at least ten days prior to the next regularly scheduled Board meeting date. Persons unable to do this may address the Board under the PUBLIC COMMENTS section of this agenda. Note, however, that such matters may be referred to staff for action or posted on a future agenda.
Time Limit on Comments:
Persons will be permitted to speak for up to three minutes.
Posted Times:
Posted times are estimated and actual times will vary. Public hearings may start later but never earlier than posted time.
Reconsideration of Items:
After the Board has acted on an agenda item, it may reconsider the same item later in the meeting in accordance with Council Rules of Proceedings II.D.4.
Consent Calendar:
All matters listed under consent calendar are considered to be routine and will be enacted by one motion. There will be no separate discussion of these items unless requested by a member of the Board or a member of the public prior to the time that the Board votes on the motion to adopt. Members of the public may request that items be removed from the Consent Calendar prior to the time that the Board votes on the motion to adopt, however, the decision to remove the item is solely at the discretion of the Board.
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1. “Board†is used here as a generic term for the City Council, commissions, committees, task forces, and other public decision-making boards. ↩