City Clerk’s Office
DATE: November 17, 2025
TO: Council Appointments Review Committee
FROM: Wanda Wong, Deputy City Clerk
Heather Glaser, City Clerk
SUBJECT: Committee Openings
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends the Council Appointments Review Committee (CARC) set interview questions for the Parks and Recreation Commission and Senior Advisory Committee, interview applicants pursuant to City Council Policy K -2, and make recommendation s for appointments to be considered by the City Council on December 16, 2025.
BACKGROUND
At the October 27, 2025 CARC meeting, there was an insufficient number of applicants interviewed to fill the seats for the Parks and Recreation Commission, Downtown Committee (Downtown Property Owner and/or Representative of a Business in the Downtown) , and the Senior Advisory Committee. CARC directed staff to readvertise these openings and schedule another CARC meeting to interview applicants for the open seats. T he City Clerk’s Office conducted a recruitment to fill openings on the Parks and Recreation Commission , Downtown Committee, and Senior Advisory Committee. No applications were received for the Downtown Committee (Downtown Property Owner and/or Representative of a Business in the Downtown).
A summary of applicants for the Parks and Recreation Commission and Senior Advisory Committee is included as Attachment 2 to this report.
Interview Process and Questions
Pursuant to City Council Policy K-2, interviews are to be conducted in a panel format. Applicants will be interviewed in groups by body, each applicant will receive the same amount of time to answer each question, and the questions selected by the City Council will be asked in randomized, round-robin order. Council may ask a limited number of clarifying questions in the event an applicant’s answer is unclear or otherwise not understood. Clarifying questions should not be used to allow an applicant an additional opportunity to expand on the original response. Staff has provided questions asked in previous interviews to help guide the Committee in setting interview questions for the Parks and Recreation Commission and Senior Advisory Committee.
Committee Openings
November 17, 2025
Parks and Recreation Commission (PRC)
The PRC consists of five members. Jonathan Davis was recommended for reappointment at the October 27, 2025 CARC meeting. There is one remaining opening that needs to be filled . Five applications were received. The names and term expiration dates for the current PRC members are as follows:
Name Term Expires
Ronit Bryant December 31, 2026
Jonathan Davis December 31, 2025
Steve Filios December 31, 2025
Joe Mitchner December 31, 2027
Sandy Sommer December 31, 2028
City staff has determined that all applicants are qualified to serve on this body.
In previous interviews, the Co mmittee posed the following questions to PRC applicants in the denoted time limit for each category:
1. 30 seconds: Why do you want to serve on the Parks and Recreation Commission?
2. One minute: What do you think would be likely areas of particular focus for you on the Commission?
3. Two minutes: What do you think should be the priorities of the Parks and Recreation Strategic Plan?
Senior Advisory Committee (SAC)
The SAC consists of five members. David Kim was recommended for appointment at the October 27, 2025 CARC meeting. There is one remaining open ing that needs to be filled. Three applications were received. The names and term expiration dates for the current SAC members are as follows:
Name Term Expires
Donna Castillo December 31, 2027
Deanna Hui December 31, 2025
Cassandra Magana December 31, 2025
Nirvana Nwokidu December 31, 2027
Brian Ogonowsky December 31, 2027
Committee Openings
November 17, 2025
City staff has determined that all applicants are qualified to serve on this body.
In previous interviews, the Committee posed the following questions to SAC applicants in the denoted time limit for each category:
1. 30 seconds: Why do you want to serve on the Senior Advisory Committee?
2. One minute: What do you think would be likely areas of particular focus for you on the Committee?
3. Two minutes: What would you like to see the Senior Advisory Committee do?
Voting Process
Pursuant to City Council Policy No. K -2, a person appointed to serve on a board, commission, or committee may only serve on one body at a time. At the conclusion of interviews, the Committee may discuss the applicants before making a recommendation to be considered by the City Council on December 16, 2025.
Staff will continue to advertise for the three openings on the Downtown Committee (Downtown Property Owner and/or Representative of a Business in the Downtown).
Attachments: 1. Board/Commission/Committee Member Selection Guidelines
2. Summary of Applicants
3. Applications