Item 3 Public Comment
Provided by Victoria "Torie" Cortez
Mayor Paul Akinjo, Vice Mayor Jennifer Torres-O'Callaghan, and Councilmembers Minnie Diallo, Diane TO:
Lazard, and Stephen Dresser
FROM: Victoria 'Torie' Cortez (331 Autumn Rain Drive, Lathrop, CA 95330) DATE: September 14, 2026
RE: Written Public Comment (Brown Act § 54954.3): Fact-Based Evidentiary Record on Traffic Safety Inaction, Agenda Items 4.17 / 5.3 / 5.5, and Municipal Accountability
1. Notice of Dangerous Condition & The Lathrop High School Precedent This submission is entered into the permanent public record for the September 14, 2026 Regular City Council Meeting pursuant to Government Code § 54954.3. It serves as a formal, fact-based reminder that City Administration and Council continue to ignore documented traffic safety hazards across our residential school corridors.
The public record establishes an ongoing municipal pattern: the City of Lathrop acts reactively only after children are injured or killed. For years, parents and students sounded alarms regarding hazardous crossings near Lathrop High School, yet decisive safety infrastructure was installed only after students were struck and injured. Despite six months of written statutory notices under Government Code § 835.2 (March 23 to June 8, 2026) warning of dangerous speeds and near-misses along our school corridor, City Administration took zero protective action-resulting directly in a City employee striking my 7-year-old daughter at the City Hall exit on June 9, 2026.
2. Verified Geographic Infrastructure Disparity Across Mossdale Public infrastructure records reveal a clear geographic divide in traffic safety. Only the residential streets on the south side of Mossdale Elementary School off Brookhurst Boulevard (e.g., Daffodil Hill Street and Golden Spike Trail) have speed humps. In contrast, the northern and eastern school-commute corridors-including McKee Boulevard, Pheasant Downs Road, Millstone Way, and Autumn Rain Drive-have zero speed humps or traffic calming, leaving hundreds of children completely unprotected from daily cut-through commuter traffic.
3. Insurer Concession of 100% Fault, Yield Laws & Salvatore's Direct Knowledge On September 3, 2026, Mercury Insurance Company formally conceded 100% casualty liability in writing for City Finance employee Lea Meneses under California Vehicle Code § 21804(a), finding Meneses solely at fault and warning her of personal excess liability. This legally dismantles the social media victim-blaming campaign conducted by City PR contractor Isaac Gonzalez (MRG, LLC) and Former Measure C Chair / Police surrogate Brandy Perkins, as well as the City's improper efforts to pressure the California Bicycle Coalition (CalBike) to censor and remove their published advocacy report on this collision.
Under CVC § 21952 and § 21804(a), drivers bear a strict statutory obligation to stop and yield before crossing any sidewalk.
City Manager Stephen Salvatore had firsthand personal knowledge of this duty when he encountered my 7-year-old daughter and her friend on the blacktop parking lot, stopped his vehicle, rolled down his window to establish visual contact, and waited for them to cross safely. Leadership knew the rules, yet failed to conduct driver education or staff training, leading directly to a City employee striking my child.
4. Public Works Data Spoliation, Delay Objection & Tonight's CIP PS 27-06 (Item 4.17) On September 3, Public Works deployed traffic count tubes inside an active PG&E; construction zone lined with "Tow-Away No Parking' barricades, causing artificial speed suppression in violation of CA MUTCD § 2B.13. On September 14, Director Brad Taylor conceded in writing that the survey was compromised and must be rescheduled. However, Public Works is now attempting to delay traffic calming evaluations for another two months—until the week of November 16, 2026—citing routine holidays and weather. Deferring safety evaluations during active school months due to self-inflicted spoliation forfeits discretionary design immunity under Government Code § 830.6.
Furthermore, on tonight's agenda under Consent Item 4.17, Council is approving CIP PS 27-06 (Citywide Traffic Systems and Safety Upgrades) and transferring $260,000 from the Street Reserve Fund specifically for traffic safety measures, striping, and signs. The City possesses unallocated traffic safety funds tonight; there is zero justification to defer Mossdale school corridor calming.
Official Public Record — California Ralph M. Brown Act (Gov. Code § 54954.3) Page 1 of 2 Lathrop City Council Meeting - September 14, 2026 Written Public Comment | Victoria Cortez
5. Agenda Items 5.3 & 5.5, Candidate Record Contradictions & Dais Priorities The policy priorities on tonight's agenda highlight an administrative disconnect between dais insulation and community protection:
• Councilmember Stephen Dresser (Item 5.3 vs. Candidate Inaction): Under Item 5.3, Council conducts a public hearing on automated red-light cameras under SB 720, initiated specifically because 'Council Member Dresser requested that staff evaluate the potential use of redlight safety cameras. While Councilmember Dresser prioritized photo-enforcement systems to collect civil fines, he ignored three direct citizen safety emails regarding physical speed humps around elementary schools. Appointed in January 2025 after losing the 2024 election (finishing 3rd with 3,424 votes), his claim that the people that call me want to know'is disproven by his silence on child safety. • Chamber Security vs. School Corridor Neglect (Item 5.5 & Item 4.19): Under Item 5.5, Council evaluates spending $165.04/hr in police overtime for K9 units and walk-through metal detectors to screen residents at the podium, while under Item 4.19 dedicated police details are approved for the Dell'Osso Farms pumpkin maze. Public funds are mobilized to insulate the dais and service private entertainment, but withheld from residential school corridors. • Police Culture, Administrative Conduct & Dais Silence: City Manager Salvatore maintained an $11,000/month Stockton consulting contract until public exposure forced its termination on June 23, 2025, while sworn testimony from former Chief Bechler: established executive pressure over DOJ police camera databases. While LPD conducts a sudden PR surge of "active community policing" photo-ops, internal department records reveal Chief Sealy and Captain Shea dismissed a mother advocating for safer streets by labeling her as having an 'agenda'-while Councilmember Diallo ignored child safety and language access notices for over five months. When asked directly from this podium in previous public comments whether you agreed with your police leadership labeling a parent's safety advocacy an 'agenda,' this Council sat in total, unbroken silence. Your silence was your answer-and it confirmed that you agree.
6. Specific Demands for Council Action Tonight
The City Council is formally requested to direct City Administration to take immediate action:
1. Allocate Item 4.17 CIP Funds Immediately: Direct a portion of the $260,000 approved tonight under CIP PS 27-06 to immediately install raised speed humps/cushions, high-visibility crosswalks, and Safe Routes to School signage on McKee Boulevard, Pheasant Downs Road, Millstone Way, and Autumn Rain Drive without a 60-day delay;
2. Strike Corrupted Survey Data: Formally strike the construction-compromised September 3-11 speed survey from City engineering records;
3. Equity in Safety Infrastructure: Remedy the geographic divide across Mossdale and prioritize elementary school children over administrative insulation.
Respectfully submitted,
Victoria 'Torie' Cortez
Lathrop Parent, Learning Coach & Pedestrian Safety Advocate 331 Autumn Rain Drive, Lathrop, CA 95330 | (209) 305-0823 | [email protected]
Official Public Record - California Ralph M. Brown Act (Gov. Code § 54954.3).