MINUTES
CITY COUNCIL SPECIAL MEETING
CITY OF MONTEREY
Wednesday, January 25, 2023
4:00 PM
COUNCIL CHAMBER, 580 PACIFIC STREET, AND ZOOM TELECONFERENCE
MONTEREY, CALIFORNIA
Councilmembers
Present: Barber*, Garcia, Haffa, Smith, Williamson
Absent: None
* Attended remotely by teleconference
City Staff
Present:
City Manager, Assistant City Manager, City Attorney, Community Development Director, Police Chief, Parks and Recreation Director, Finance Director, Fire Chief, Human Resources Director, Library & Museums Director, Public Works Director, City Clerk, Senior Engineer, Recreation Services Manager, Parks Operations Manager, Assistant Director of Information Resources
CALL TO ORDER
This meeting was held with a combination of in-person and teleconference attendance, pursuant to the Ralph M. Brown Act, Calif. Government Code section 54953(e)(1)(C) and Resolution No. 23-002 C.S.
Mayor Williamson called the meeting to order at 4:04 p.m. City Clerk Klein explained to the public how to participate in the meeting virtually and the safety rules for in-person attendance.
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
Mayor Williamson led the Pledge.
PUBLIC APPEARANCE
1. Receive Update on the 2023 City Staff Work Program and Provide Direction (Not a Project Under CEQA Article 20, Section 15378 and Under General Rule Article 5, Section 15061) Action: Received update, provided direction
City Manager Uslar introduced the item and asked for direction on the Council's priorities.
Assistant City Manager Rojanasathira gave the staff presentation, updating the Council and public on the City staff's work program. He answered Councilmembers' questions, with additional input from Police Chief Hober and Finance Director King.
Public comment was received from: Tom Rowley, who spoke about sea level rise, transparency, and parking concerns; Lorna Moffat, who asked Council to protect trees, address hazardous waste concerns relating to the military, and increase public transportation; Esther Malkin, who cited concerns about the cannabis industry, spoke favorably about the Police Department and its work with homeless individuals, and asked Council to focus on renter issues; Nina Beety, who shared concerns about cellular technologies and EMF radiation, the City's tree and vegetation policies, COVID-19 vaccinations, and the Compatible Use Plan. City Manager Uslar clarified to the public that Ms. Beety's opinions on vaccinations did not reflect City Council Minutes January 25, 2023
2 scientific fact, and he asked concerned individuals to review proof of the vaccines' efficacy on the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website.
The Council discussed the matter.
Comments were made praising City staff for their hard work on important initiatives. Specific positive remarks were made on topics including: the increased diversity of City management staff; work being done and planned to preserve and promote diverse local history; the return of disc golf; working to resolve pickleball issues; Old Capitol Site planning; expanding solar arrays and infrastructure; traffic control and adaptive light technology; transparency and community engagement and the "Have Your Say Monterey" outreach website; and consistent, qualitydriven financial planning.
Topics and priorities highlighted for further discussion and attention included:
Affordable housing and homelessness, including supporting the upcoming Shuman HeartHouse shelter; evaluating the further use of City properties for affordable housing, including reconsidering the previously heard Adams Street proposal; finding ways to encourage investment in the development of affordable housing; listening and responding proactively to the needs of the renting population; reconsidering establishing a rental registry; developing a emergency housing assistance program for people in need; setting metrics- and timeline-based goals relating to housing efforts; creatively helping developers expedite the development of affordable housing; developing renter policies; considering a potential property vacancy tax; using accessory dwelling units (ADUs) and related laws to increase housing supply; and collaborating regionally to develop local policies in the "Housing First" model;
Community, including nourishing and improving community resilience and support, and finding opportunities for creating community;
Quality of life, including providing residents and visitors with enjoyable parks, recreational opportunities, and community centers (including reopening the CONA Community Center); and preserving the beaches and the environment; Cannabis, including expediting the proposed retail cannabis work plan and embedding cannabis revenues in the City’s budget, and considering allowing cannabis at events and at one retail operation on North Fremont Street;
Fire and electric grid resilience;
Transportation, including promoting active transportation methods, improving multimodal safety, improving paths and commute connections for bicyclists and pedestrians, expanding traffic safety and speed reduction, and considering adopting the "Vision Zero" strategy to eliminate traffic fatalities and severe injuries; Water shortage, including seeking additional water sources such as stormwater diversion at Lake El Estero, and working to recover funds from California-American Water (“Cal Am Water”);
Neighborhood revitalization, specifically in the North Fremont and Downtown areas, including by expediting permitting processes;
Infrastructure maintenance, including the tunnel;
City Council Minutes January 25, 2023
3 Transparency and civic engagement, including being clear about the City's processes and making them easier for the public to understand, and proactively engaging with stakeholders;
Fiscal resilience, including ensuring cost recovery for services, continuing to improve the City’s financial reserves, and investigating the possibility of public banking; Governance, including potentially amending Charter sec. 2.8, determining a letterhead policy, revisiting the process for Council to agendize new matters, strategic planning, the Council process for evaluating its appointed officials, and the appointment process/policy for Council-appointed bodies (boards, commissions, and committees); and other suggestions for staff, including relating to the ADA Transition Plan, creation of a mask policy tied to data points, and reviewing the City budget each January.
It was noted that items requiring Council consideration would be agendized using the regular agenda process and by the affirmative vote of the Council.
Residents were encouraged to review documents such as the City Staff Work Program to understand the breadth of the City's commitments and how hard the staff works to meet and balance expectations.
***Adjourn to Closed Session (See additional agenda)*** Public comments on the closed session were not received, The Council adjourned to closed session at 6:09 p.m.
ANNOUNCEMENTS FROM CLOSED SESSION
cs1. Conference with Legal Counsel, Existing Litigation Pursuant to Government Code section 54956.9(d)(1): Bonnie Gawf v. City of Monterey (Monterey County Superior Court Case No. 20CV003232) (Not a Project under CEQA Article 20, Section 15378 and under General Rule Article 5, Section 15061)
Action: On a unanimous roll call vote, the Council gave confidential direction to its legal counsel
ADJOURNMENT
The Council adjourned at 6:37 p.m.
Respectfully Submitted, Approved,
Clementine Bonner Klein Tyller Williamson
City Clerk Mayor