REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MINUTES
25541 Barton Road, Loma Linda, CA 92354
April 22, 2025, 5:30 PM - April 22, 2025, 8:50 PM
Roll Call: (The following members were in attendance)
Phillip Dupper, Mayor
Ronald Dailey, Mayor pro tempore
Rhodes Rigsby, Councilmember
Ovidiu Popescu, Councilmember
Rhonda Spencer-Hwang, Councilmember
1. Call to Order
1.A. Call to Order- 5:30 PM
The meeting was called to order at 5:30 pm and immediately recessed into closed session.
1.B. Roll Call- 5:30 PM
All Councilmembers present.
Staff present: T. Jarb Thaipejr, City Manager; Diane Robbins, City Attorney; Lynette Arreola, City Clerk; Sonia Fabela, Finance Director; Dan Harker, Fire Chief; Lorena Matarrita, Community Development Director; Andy Ramirez, Assistant City Manager; Andrew Sanchez, Customer Support Technician; and Lt. Kaysie Smith, San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department
1.C. Closed Session - 5:30 pm - Council Board Room- 7:38 PM The regular meeting of the City Council reconvened at 7:38 pm. The City Attorney announced that the City Council met in closed session regarding labor negotiations. She stated that no action was taken and direction was provided to staff.
1.D. Invocation and Pledge of Allegiance - Councilmember Spencer-Hwang- 7:38 PM The Invocation and Pledge of Allegiance was led by Councilmember Spencer-Hwang.
1.E. Items to be Added or Deleted- 7:39 PM
No items were added or deleted.
1.F. Oral Reports/Public Participation - Non-Agenda Items (Each Speaker limited to 3 minutes. Pursuant to the Brown Act, no action or discussion can be taken by City Council)- 7:39 PM
No oral participation upon invitation by the Mayor.
2. Scheduled and Related Items
2.A. Community Garden Valentine's Day Event - Recap Report [Melanie Hendricks]- 7:39 PM
Melanie Hendricks provided an overview of the Community Garden Valentine's Day event, noting that the event was relocated to the Community Room due to the weather. Despite the change in venue, she noted that the event was well-attended, with 55 participants ranging from infants to 12- year-old children, along with their families; that Councilmember Spencer-Hwang and City Manager Thaipejr attended the event; that there were do-it-yourself art and card-making activities using materials from the community garden; that the event promoted community engagement; and that they received positive feedback with requests to do other events. She thanked all the supporters and valued their continued partnership for future events.
2.B. School of Public Health Student Presentation - Umang Sharma- 8:16 PM Umang Sharma and Silvano Cardenas, students at Loma Linda University's School of Public Health, shared their perspectives and those of their peers on reasons they are drawn to living in Loma Linda.
They noted that Loma Linda is recognized as a "Blue Zones" city and the only one in the United States, where they would like to see the City capitalize on this. They stated that many students support the health conscious environment and lifestyle. They expressed a desire to view more lush greenery throughout the City, to develop a designated downtown area and to foster a more livable, walkable community. They pointed out the number of vacant lots and business suites within the city, which should be an opportunity to attract healthy food establishments and health-oriented businesses to occupy those vacant areas. They explained that the main school cafeteria closes daily at 2:00 p.m. Students and employees go to Redlands and San Bernardino for dining, because Loma Linda is limited in its dining options. They pointed out that the City of Redlands has more lush trees and more restaurants. They highlighted the Redlands Public Market that recently opened, which offers a number of eateries. By implementing some of these enhancements, Loma Linda has the opportunity to reinforce its identity as a leader in health and wellness. They thanked the City Council and Dr. Spencer-Hwang the opportunity to share their presentation.
Mayor pro tempore Dailey thanked the students for their presentation. He acknowledged their aspiration for growth; however, he pointed out that the City has to comply with government mandates, such as water conservation and housing requirements that will limit some of the environmental enhancement that was discussed. He pointed out that the City was an award recipient of Tree City USA. He noted that while the City has attracted health-conscious businesses, developers often base their demographic analysis on a broader regional area that includes neighboring cities, which has lead them to conclude that the overall market does not present a strong investment opportunity. He noted that many vacant lots are not owned by the City.
Mayor Dupper noted that the City maintains a strong partnership with the University, especially on University-related projects. He stated that the University owns approximately one-third of the property within the City and is actively pursuing development opportunities aligned with healthconscious amenities. While the City cannot force businesses or property owners to locate in Loma Linda, he emphasized that the City continues to actively encourage and offer incentives to attract new businesses.
Council Member Spencer-Hwang applauded their presentation and encouraged Ms. Sharma and Mr.
Cardenas to interact with the City on their ideas and suggestions.
Council Member Popescu thanked them for their presentation and agreed that the City needs to preserve Loma Linda as a Blue Zone. He encouraged them to stay informed about other public meetings of Boards and Commissions and to share their ideas, particularly during the early stages of projects.
2.C. Presentation on the GIS Hub on the City's Website [Public Works]- 8:22 PM City Manager Thaipejr introduced Henry Reed, City's Engineer Technician/GIS Analyst, to provide a brief presentation sharing the work he has done building the various layers of information of the Geographic Information System (GIS) Hub on the City's website.
Mr. Reed noted that the City of Loma Linda implemented GIS over 25 years ago. He explained that GIS is an interactive platform designed to provide residents, businesses, and cities comprehensive geographic data. He explained that he has been building several Web Map applications for the past 15 years, which is available on the city's website. He highlighted a few of the Map applications (3 Year Pavement Moratoriums; Development Information; City Parcel Map Index and Tract Maps and Improvement Plans; Bike and South Hills Trails Preserve Maps, Utilities Map, and Land Use and Zoning App), Water Distribution Dashboard and Infrastructure Data Information, explaining the data that each application provides. He noted that the GIS Hub information is available to download from the website.
He went on to discuss the StoryMaps Application, sharing an interactive StoryMaps Application of Art in Public Places from the City of Palm Dessert, which provided detailed information from their locations to information on the art and artists. While the City is currently not utilizing the application, he noted that the City is looking into applying the application. He thanked the Council for the opportunity to present.
Umang Sharma noted that the latest GIS application is ArcGIS Business Analyst, a tool that provides comprehensive demographic, consumer spending, and business data. Councilmember SpencerHwang stated that she has scheduled a presentation from ESRI at the upcoming City Council meeting.
3. Consent Calendar
Motion by Rhodes Rigsby, seconded Ovidiu Popescu, passing by a vote of 5-0-0-0-0, to APPROVE the Consent Calendar as submitted.
3.A. Demands Register - April 22, 2025 [Finance]- 8:47 PM Approved the Demands Registers dated April 22, 2025, with commercial demands totaling $2,232,936.83, and Payroll dated April 10, 2025, totaling $457,955.91.
3.B. Fire Department's Activity Report - March 2025 [Fire]- 8:47 PM Accepted the March 2025 Fire Department Activity Report for filing.
3.C. Notice of Completion for the Installation of a 400 HP Variable Frequency Drive (VFD) for Richardson Well No. 5 - Tess Electric [Public Works]- 8:47 PM Accepted the report as complete and authorized the recordation of the Notice of Completion.
4. Old Business
No scheduled Items.
5. New Business
No scheduled Items.
6. Reports
6.A. Reports of Council Members- 8:47 PM
Councilmember Popescu stated that he and the Assistant City Manager Ramirez met with the City of Lancaster and with a JPA Organization where they focused on developing a hydrogen utility hub. He noted that this would be a unique opportunity for the City to join at no cost to the City; that they offer innovative ways of promoting clean energy and sustainability; and that there could be opportunity to generate money for the City. He would like to invite them to a future meeting to make a presentation on their operations.
6.B. Reports Of Officers- 8:47 PM
No reports.
7. Adjournment
The meeting adjourned at 8:47 pm.
Minutes approved as submitted on June 10, 2025.