CITY OF PACIFICA
CITY COUNCIL MINUTES
Council Chambers
2212 Beach Blvd
Pacifica, CA 94044
Mayor Sue Vaterlaus
Mayor pro Tem Sue Beckmeyer
Councilmember Mary Bier
Councilmember Tygarjas Bigstyck
Councilmember Christine Boles
City Council Regular Meeting 1 November 25, 2024
REGULAR AND SPECIAL MEETING
November 25, 2024 (MONDAY)
www.cityofpacifica.org
Mayor Sue Vaterlaus called the meeting to order on November 25, 2024 at 5:00 PM 5:00 PM - CLOSED SESSION
Mayor Vaterlaus called the meeting to order at 5:00 p.m. 00a. PUBLIC EMPLOYEE PERFORMANCE EVALUATION. Government Code section 54957.
Title: City Attorney.
00b. CONFERENCE WITH REAL PROPERTY NEGOTIATORS. Pursuant to Government Code Section 54956.8. Property: 1050 Crespi Drive, Pacifica (also known as the Pacifica Cultural Arts Center and Spindrift Theater). Agency negotiator: Kevin Woodhouse, City Manager. Negotiating parties: City of Pacifica and Pacifica Spindrift Players. Under negotiation: Lease price and terms of payment.
00c. CONFERENCE WITH REAL PROPERTY NEGOTIATORS. Pursuant to Government Code section 54956.8. Property: 1220 C Linda Mar Boulevard, Pacifica (APN 023-281-130).
Agency negotiator: Kevin Woodhouse, City Manager. Negotiating parties: City of Pacifica and Stephen Johnson Photography. Under negotiation: Price and terms of payment of lease. 7:00 PM OPEN SESSION
Call to Order
Mayor Vaterlaus reconvened the meeting at 7:00 p.m.
Attendee Name Title Status Arrived
Sue Vaterlaus Mayor Present
Sue Beckmeyer Mayor pro Tem Present
Mary Bier Councilmember Present
Tygarjas Bigstyck Councilmember Present
Christine Boles Councilmember Present
City Clerk Coffey took a verbal roll call.
City Council Regular Meeting 2 November 25, 2024
Staff Present: Kevin Woodhouse, City Manager; Michelle Kenyon, City Attorney; Denise Bazzano, Asst. City Attorney (Closed Session only); Yulia Carter, Asst. City Manager; Maria Sarasua, Police Chief; Scott Leslie, PB&R Director; John Mullins, Interim PW Director; Louis Sun, PW Dep. Director-Wastewater Div.; Daniel Patten, Wastewater Engineering Manager; Roland Yip, PW Deputy Director (Field Services/Engineering); Tara Schiff, Economic Development Manager; Sarah Coffey, City Clerk, Emily La, Dep. City Clerk.
Reading of Land Acknowledgment
Mayor Vaterlaus read the Land Acknowledgment.
Salute to the Flag led by Councilmember Boles
Closed Session Report
City Manager Woodhouse stated there was no reportable action.
SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS
A. Proclamation - Congresswoman Anna G. Eshoo
Mayor Vaterlaus read a proclamation honoring Congresswoman Eshoo’s time in public service.
Congresswoman Eshoo thanked her expressed her appreciation to the entire Council for this beautiful proclamation and acknowledged City Manager Woodhouse and City Clerk Coffey.
She then referred to her first public office as a supervisor in San Mateo County which shaped her, especially legislatively, and was a gift leading to Congress. She stated it has been her lifetime honor to represent Pacifica who opened their arms like no other community and the work they did together will remain with her the rest of her life. She referred to commuting across the country every week to be with her constituents which she thinks is necessary to spend time with them and hear firsthand what people’s hopes and aspirations are and what is working, even though the legislative work is done in Washington, D.C. She stated she has had a beautiful partnership with Pacificans and thanks them for their warm welcome and embrace and she wishes each one of Council every success. She closed on the note that they are weeks from the election and there are some who are happy and others who are very sad. She stated that her perspective is that this chamber is where the seeds of democracy are planted when we have strong communities with a healthy civic life, and Council helps bring that community together through work and civic organizations. She stated that none of us will give up on democracy.
Mayor pro Tem Beckmeyer thanked Congresswoman Eshoo for her leadership by example and her patience. She stated that Council will miss her but it was great knowing that she always has our back.
Congresswoman Eshoo stated that we will always have her as she is coming home and staying home.
Mayor pro Tem Beckmeyer added that she is always welcome.
Councilmember Bigstyck stated he has known Congresswoman Eshoo for two years and, after that, it feels like he may have known her forever. He stated that each interaction with her is so City Council Regular Meeting 3 November 25, 2024
very true and honest and straightforward. He thanks her for that as well as for reminding them on how blessed we are to have our City Manager. He mentioned the opportunity to take her on a tour of our coastline and show her our needs and he hopes we will leverage the relationship she had with the Army Corps of Engineers. He stated that she has not only helped Council be better at their jobs, but reminded them of the depth of our humanity as it is clear the depth of her humanity is what she brought to this job including the county as well as Congress.
Councilmember Boles referred to her 42 years, which was a magic number in The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. She thanked Congresswoman Eshoo for her service, dedication to our community, the Bay Area, State of California, and democracy in a world where it is threatened, even more so now. She stated that, having won so many re-elections, it is clear that she is listening to her community, and her commute has paid off as she feels she has always represented us all. She looked at many of the issues she dealt with over those decades and there is nothing she disagrees with and she thanked her. She referred to her active work on airplane noise with the FAA with former Congresswoman Jackie Speier, and she thanked her for that as it impacts our community. She saw her nuclear fusion research, which is a promising field to move to being sustainable in our electric energy sources. She referred to her attention to the vulnerable people in our communities and country. She thanked her for being an example and light to show the way to a humanity that we should be in caring for each other.
Councilmember Bier stated that Congresswoman Eshoo is a lovely soul and she appreciated so much about her. She wants our community to understand that she has been with Pacifica for two years and referred to the list of things she has been able to do and the resources she has brought to us and she thanked her for that. She stated that, at the Democrats meeting, Congresswoman Eshoo mentioned that she was welcomed with open arms, but Councilmember Bier feels like she did that for her personally and felt that it made her feel seen, and for a local elected to be seen by someone like her was a beautiful moment. She stated that Congresswoman Eshoo has shown that, through their relationships, we can work together and it brings us hope and will push through the fear and brings hope to get things done.
Mayor Vaterlaus stated she has probably known Congresswoman Eshoo for the longest, as they used to go to Washington, D.C., and meet her in her office and she was the most gracious, happy, and appreciative of all they did. She loved to meet her there in her office, and even when she was not representing Pacifica she worked together with former Congresswoman Jackie Speier to help Pacifica. She felt like she was just talking to a friend and appreciated her so much and will always appreciate her.
There were no public comments.
Mayor Vaterlaus called for a break and then reconvened the meeting.
B. Proclamation - Shop Small Business Saturday
Mayor Vaterlaus read a proclamation in recognition of Shop Small Business Saturday on November 30.
Economic Development Manager Schiff was pleased to be present for the proclamation. She stated that Pacifica is continuing to support our small businesses this holiday season. She stated that Small Business Saturday originated in 2010 and generates billions of dollars for our small businesses and is an important of small businesses busiest shopping season. In Pacifica, we are emphasizing the “shop” in the proclamation to encourage our community to shop local City Council Regular Meeting 4 November 25, 2024
during the holiday season and all year long. She then introduced two members of the Seaside Merchants Association, Jennifer Christiansen and Caitlyn Cuadra.
Ms. Cuadra stated that they are grateful for this recognition and they wanted to extend a challenge to the community to shop small. She stated that it was a very intentional act and this Saturday the streets will be filled with all kinds of activities with special pop-up markets, etc.
Mayor pro Tem Beckmeyer commended them in their fine work on behalf of the city but, as individuals, they are very inspirational and she is fortunate to see them every month at the Economic Development Committee meeting. She thanked them for their leadership.
Councilmember Bier echoed that, adding that they bring some energy with them that is contagious, and she notices that when she was at the Economic Development Committee meetings and on Second Saturdays also.
Councilmember Boles thought it was beautiful that they created the Seaside Merchants Association as it is about how they work together, know each other, and build a livelier area where more people want to come. She stated it seems that all of the businesses benefit from that collaboration. She hopes we can see that inspiration spread to other parts of the city.
Councilmember Bigstyck stated that he has the opportunity to explore the local businesses and discover something new which is a charming experience. He thanked them for all they do and he also encouraged our community to shop small.
Mayor Vaterlaus echoes all the other councilmembers’ comments regarding starting up this group because it is necessary for them to get together. She thanked them very much.
There were no public comments.
C. Presentation - Sibling Cities USA Program (Vicki Veenker) Mayor Vaterlaus stated that next is a presentation from Sibling Cities USA Program and Vicki Veenker, Palo Alto Councilmember and Founder of the Sibling Cities USA Program, will give a presentation about this organization.
Sibling Cities USA Chief Executive Officer Veenker stated that she was present, not as a councilmember, but to accept Council’s invitation to tell them about the non-profit Sibling Cities USA, for which she is the founder and CEO. She gave a presentation showing what they were able to accomplish in Palo Alto with their sibling city of Bloomington, Indiana, mentioning all the individuals, non-profits, and federal, state, and city officials, who have been involved in this program to build relationships with our fellow humans in our cities, states, nation, and around the world.
Councilmember Bigstyck appreciated Chief Executive Officer Veenker for being here at this meeting. He knows her through the work on the Peninsula Division for CalCities. He stated that he had an opportunity to attend one of these meetings in Palo Alto and has been asking for time for this presentation. He stated that his interest, since on the dais as well as before, is civility and how we speak to each other as a community, communicate regionally and beyond; given the tone and tenor of national discourse, it seems like a poignant moment for a good idea such as this for Pacifica and hopefully deepen her work. He stated that Pacifica often regards themselves as having a small budget, small staff and short on time. He asked how she might City Council Regular Meeting 5 November 25, 2024
respond to the concern that our resources are limited to take on extracurricular activities.
Chief Executive Officer Veenker stated that this has been mainly community-driven. Staff has had a relatively small role and, when they have had a role, they have reported back to her some very positive experiences, engaging and learning from counterparts. She stated that, when they would take the community leaders in both cities together and have monthly joint steering committees. They have also had delegation trips and shared positive experiences between department heads and City Managers. She stated that staff have helped them and played a role, but it has not been an event planning role, etc., and in terms of resources, it has been a relatively light lift that has also paid them back. She stated that, with communications, they will put them in emails going out to the community but that is more content for our community and more things they can offer to the community. In terms of expenses, Palo Alto has managers for their sister cities relationships and there is a budget set aside for all eight sister cities of about $35,000, a few thousand of which helps with the administrative costs because of technology, etc.
Councilmember Bier stated it was lovely to hear from her and she thanked her for coming. She thinks the energy Chief Executive Officer Veenker brought here shows how much she enjoys this. She stated that we have a sister city in Catalonia, Spain and she was curious about how that could play a part in our conversations. She thanked her for her presentation so they can have these conversations.
Councilmember Boles stated that she loves the idea. She thanked Councilmember Bigstyck for inviting Chief Executive Officer Veenker and thanked her for speaking. She also worries about our capacity, not just staff but also Council, and she has been thinking about what other community groups might be interested and building it slowly from the ground up to find that capacity. She stated Sibling Cities USA is a non-profit now, and she wondered if there were resources in learning from experience and tools that might be able to be applied to other city partnerships.
Chief Executive Officer Veenker stated that it is not necessarily councilmember responsibility.
She happens to be a councilmember, but when this started, she was not on Council. She stated that part of it is finding whether there is interest in the community and who might lead that. She stated that other things she is doing in parallel with trying to expand it to fundraise so they can get more infrastructure, but regardless of that, they have a small committee putting together a tool kit that will show them templates for emails they used, marketing materials, the agendas for different town halls, etc. They are very cognizant that they need to make it easy for cities to join.
Mayor Vaterlaus thought they can take it up with some of our community groups.
Chief Executive Officer Veenker added that, if any community groups want to talk to any of their community groups about it, she was happy to make any introductions that are helpful. She thanked them for having her here.
Mayor Vaterlaus thanked her for being here.
D. Presentation – San Mateo County Libraries (SMCL) Annual Report 2023-24 Julie Smith, Manager of the Pacifica Libraries, stated that Senior Librarian Julia Wright is with her tonight and stated that they are pleased to share the library’s annual report of fiscal year City Council Regular Meeting 6 November 25, 2024
2023-2024.
Senior Librarian Wright stated that San Mateo County Libraries is proud to offer services since first established as a county free library in 1912 with this year marking the 25th anniversary of the JPA. She shared some of the statistics connected with the growth in the programs they offered to everyone in San Mateo County, including some specific to Pacifica’s libraries.
Library Manager Smith stated libraries uplift our communities and, in turn, communities work to uplift their libraries. She took them through some of their standout accomplishments last year in San Mateo County with a high approval rating in surveys that were taken. She mentioned the various programs they have throughout the county and the many volunteers and groups have provided critical support in working with staff to help them provide so many services. She referred to many accomplishments, such as the first 24/7 Library Outpost in Pacifica, as well as future goals and endeavors. She thanked Council for giving them the chance to share some of their most exciting accomplishments and appreciate the strong support of the city.
Councilmember Boles stated that she has only been on Council two years but she is blown away by their presentations and all the services they offer. She stated how lucky we are and that it was exciting that there were 36% more events compared to last year. She was excited and proud that our Outpost is the first one in the county. She thought other cities might learn from that and expand their services in a more cost-effective way. She thanked them for all their energy and joy they bring to us and our community.
Councilmember Bier is happy they are here, and she thanked them for participating in the Pacifica Collaborative. She stated that we look forward to doing work in the City around the libraries with the Library Advisory Committee.
Councilmember Bigstyck stated he was honored to have been on the Board for the last couple of years, deepening his understanding of all the resources the library can offer as a modern library. He stated to any community member listening that we have so much potential waiting for us in our library, should the community choose to replace and rebuild it.
Mayor pro Tem Beckmeyer stated it was always very exciting for her to see Julie Smith, her former colleague from Pacifica School District and fellow alumnae from San Jose State Master of Library Science School, and she thought it was great seeing Julia Wright also. She shared how much she loves the Outpost. She is grateful for the partnership they have with our schools.
She thanked them from the bottom of her heart for all they do, especially for being warriors and good sports about the facilities within which they do their work. Council knows how it feels to see staff work in an appropriate place for them to do their best professional work. She looked forward to the day to have that opportunity for them.
Mayor Vaterlaus thanked them for being present at this meeting. She went to the opening of the Outpost and she may visit the libraries when she is not on Council. She thanked them for planning to come to the Tree Lighting on December 1 with the Bookmobile.
Mayor Vaterlaus opened public comments.
Tina Wehrmeister, Pacifica, stated she is a member of the Library Advisory Committee, but she is speaking as an individual at this time. She thanked the San Mateo Libraries for their incredible service to our community, sharing her thoughts that while Pacifica is not lacking in dedicated and caring library staff that provide exceptional service, we are lacking in modern City Council Regular Meeting 7 November 25, 2024
facilities that are sized to serve our community as per-capita our library space is 60% smaller than other cities in San Mateo County and shared suggestions to modernize Pacifica library facilities and engage with the Library Advisory Committee. She invited people to visit the website at PacificaLibraryProject.com for more information.
Mayor Vaterlaus closed public comments.
CONSENT CALENDAR
Mayor Vaterlaus asked if any councilmember wanted to pull an item. There were no public comments.
Councilmember Bigstyck stated he had a comment on Item 3. He stated he is happy we are at the finish line.
Mayor Vaterlaus stated that the Anza Pump Station worked properly in our storms and that was a big positive.
Councilmember Boles had a question on Item 3. She concluded it was about approving some extra costs for the Anza Pump Station and it talked about the insurance settlement, on packet page 63, where it says the total cost less the insurance deductibles as $5.7 million, but the report mentions that the insurance is not paying for what they see as upgrades that are beyond the replacement which was 30% or approximately $1.7 million. She knows the full accounting is coming later, but she wondered what fund that comes out of as the Anza Pump Station is storm water, not sewer. She asked if that money comes from the sewer fund or the General Fund and asked if that is something that is in the budget now or will be addressed later.
PW Dep. Director Sun stated that staff are still negotiating with the insurance company and it is projected that the insurance company will cover about 70% of the cost and the remaining 30% are costs that are considered to be upgrade. Regarding funding, this is a storm water pump station and it does not use sewer funds, but staff are working with the budget and looking at ways of coming up with storm water funding to pay for the costs. He stated that PW Interim Director Mullins is working on this as well and, during the budget season, we hope to come up with alternative source to look into to provide. He added that there is still some remaining money left from the EQ Basin project that was not used, so that is a potential resource.
RESULT: ADOPTED [UNANIMOUS]
MOVER: Tygarjas Bigstyck, Councilmember
SECONDER: Mary Bier, Councilmember
AYES: Vaterlaus, Beckmeyer, Bier, Bigstyck, Boles
1. Approval of Minutes
PROPOSED ACTION: Move to approve the minutes for the October 28, 2024 City Council Special and Regular Meeting.
2. Move to adopt Resolution Terminating Proclamation of Local Emergency at the Anza Pump Station at Pacifica State Beach issued on April 8, 2020.
PROPOSED ACTION: Move to Adopt Resolution Terminating Proclamation of Local Emergency (Attachment 1) at the Anza Pump Station at Pacifica State Beach on April 8, 2020.
City Council Regular Meeting 8 November 25, 2024
3. Move to adopt Resolution to Approve Additional Budget Authorization for Anza Pump Station Project for Substantial Completion
PROPOSED ACTION: Move to adopt Resolution for:
A. Adopt a Resolution to Increase the Anza Pump Station Repair Project construction contingency budget by $133,355.75 (5.5%) to the total contingency of $938,652.46 (40.5%), bringing the total construction authority to $3,265,966.75; and Authorize the City Manager to execute the close-out change order for the project.
B. Adopt a Resolution to Increase the Anza Pump Station Repair Project engineering services during construction (ESDC) contingency budget by $55,896 (53%) to the total contingency of (85%), bringing the total ESDC authority to $195,526; and Authorize the City Manager to execute the close-out change order for the project.
4. Approve new job classifications for Senior Human Resources Analyst and Senior Building Maintenance Specialist positions, and add them to the classification plan to be recognized as part of the Confidential Group and Teamsters Miscellaneous 856 Unit, respectively.
PROPOSED ACTION: Adopt a resolution approving a new Senior Human Resources Analyst and Senior Building Maintenance Specialist classifications, and authorize the City Manager or his designee to execute a side letter to recognize the Senior Building Maintenance Specialist Classification by the Teamsters Miscellaneous 856 Unit.
5. Reject all bids for the Playground Equipment Improvement Project (aka FY24-25 Priority Parks Project)
PROPOSED ACTION:
Reject all bids for the Playground Equipment Improvement Project (aka FY24-25 Priority Parks Project).
PUBLIC COMMENTS ON ITEMS NOT ON THE POSTED AGENDA
There were no public comments.
COUNCIL COMMUNICATIONS
Councilmember Bigstyck thanked Public Works in light of the storm and knows how much work has gone in on the front end to ensure we have better results during these events. He also thanked North Coast County Water District for taking care of our city. He was at Council of Cities where they did a demonstration of their drones or unmanned aerial systems; County Executive Mike Callagy also talked to them at the State of the County and the in-lieu vehicle license fee. He referred to the CCAG update, stating he arrived late to the OSPAC meeting because his LAFCo meeting went late. He cast a vote regarding Pescadero’s water issues at their school and they have to build a big water line connected to a new fire station in Pescadero.
He stated that the Oddstad groundbreaking was huge and now it will be serving our faculty in Pacifica. He attended a couple of days of the Coastal Commission meeting when it was in San Francisco and it was amazing to see the breadth of what Coastal Commission is working on and to hear their deliberations. He had a Peninsula Clean Energy meeting where they put an energy risk management policy into place. He referred to member agency grants, and he was honored to sit on the subcommittee that worked on excess money and where to distribute them.
He stated a part of that translated into specific money set aside for each member city and grant opportunities for our various projects. He advocated strongly for the GovPE or GovPB City Council Regular Meeting 9 November 25, 2024
photovoltaic projects that translates into the solar paneling on the Community Center. He stated that the City can tap on his shoulder until they find that project and allocate those funds as it will be available to Pacifica until June 2025.
Mayor pro Tem Beckmeyer stated that the Coastal Commission meeting that she and Councilmember Bigstyck attended on November 14 was enlightening because the big project they were approving was the Ocean Beach Sea Wall Project, which reminded her of the issues we have in Pacifica with regard to wastewater infrastructure, the need for armoring, and the challenges we have with erosion. The reality is that we have the infrastructure that we have and we need to take steps and look at the economic issues of protect and potentially relocate versus not protect and what are the costs that ensue from that. She saw the Commission struggle with those issues. She stated it is interesting to see so many of the issues we deal with in our town and how related issues play out because so many projects that need approval are in the coastal zone and she continues to learn more about how different jurisdictions work with the Coastal Commission and how the different division offices and their staff works. She stated that the Library Advisory Committee is ramping up and they welcomed one of their youth members. She also sat in for Councilmember Bigstyck for OSPAC and welcomed the new student who was appointed to OSPAC. She had a meeting with Chuck Gust about parking in Rockaway and she wanted to talk with the City Manager and PW about what might be doable. She attended the Council of Cities and was glad to make that.
Councilmember Bier was curious about staff’s response to the youth member in OSPAC. She asked if they noticed and she thought it would be one of staff’s roles to help them assimilate.
Mayor pro Tem Beckmeyer was at the Resource Management Climate Protection meeting and did not see the beginning of OSPAC. She stated that Committee Member Arlene Patton was kind and welcoming.
City Manager Woodhouse added that the staff liaison, James Lin from Community Development, did an onboarding with the new member prior to the meeting. He stated that it is a big thing to first experience and he was sure the reality of it might have been overwhelming.
Mayor pro Tem Beckmeyer stated Sarah did the same onboarding with the LAC.
City Clerk Coffey stated that, at the Library Advisory Committee, Kathleen Renfroe Johnson was the new youth appointee. Just before the meeting, she did some one-on-one onboarding with her to welcome her into the group, but for a youth member, it may be a little overwhelming. She stated that, at the Library Advisory Committee, it helped to have another youth member that is returning, and she thinks those two youth members were able to bond at that first meeting.
Councilmember Bier stated she went to San Mateo County Leadership CORPS training and she is taking it all in and doing as much as she can. They talked about AI and how they are incorporating AI into all the different agencies and people’s reactions to it. She stated that they have another training on December 6, close together like an assimilation training. She went to the groundbreaking for the Pacifica School District, and she thanked former Councilmember Mike O’Neill for doing all the work over the years and all the members of the board at the School District. She attended the Age-Friendly Coalition meeting. She was at the Pacifica Democrats meeting and Congresswoman Anna Eshoo was there. She went to the volunteer lunch with Mayor pro Tem Beckmeyer for HOPE (Healing, Overdose and Prevention Education), a new non-profit in town looking at opioid overdose awareness, and she wanted to thank all the members of HOPE who are doing a fantastic job. She stated that they have been coming with City Council Regular Meeting 10 November 25, 2024
her to the high school presentations when talking about opioids and it is nice to have to them on board in that way too. She met with some constituents in Vallemar and there was an opioid focus group that happened the same night as the North Coast County Water District meeting and she logged onto the meeting and did her best to participate.
Councilmember Boles stated that the Pacifica School District’s groundbreaking was wonderful and it was so exciting to see an affordable housing project getting underway in Pacifica and realizing how long these projects take. She stated that they had the two-day NOAA training, and she thanked Mayor pro Tem Beckmeyer for joining her and Matt and helping with the breakout room.
Mayor pro Tem Beckmeyer thanked her for her work to coordinate with Cindy Abbott and Nancy Tierney. They did a great job.
Councilmember Boles thanked her and thanked City Manager Woodhouse for encouraging and inviting staff to attend. She stated it was the importance of public engagement, even starting with understanding the vulnerabilities. She stated that they have a waitlist of about 15 people for the next training and Councilmember Bier is on it. She was at the Emergency Preparedness and Safety Commission meeting, where they elected a new chair; she was grateful for Gregor Blackburn and his years of experience of working for FEMA and how important that is as we look at their coastal issues. She had a Commute.org meeting and they had a presentation from a Foster City company called Zoox that are coming up with a driverless taxi with four seats that face each other and sliding doors instead of swinging doors. She also shared that Commute.org has a new app coming out in January called Commute Star. There will be a Transportation Demand Management (TDM) workshop for JPA cities on February 25, and they are hoping they get representation from all the cities so Planning, Public Works, climate action, etc., to be a part of that. She has been meeting on and off with the Linda Mar Water Quality Coalition and the water bacteria levels was bad after the rain and she reminded everyone to check that before they go swimming or surfing. She stated that, from the League of California Cities, one statistic mentioned about interim housing that was troubling to her was that there is a waitlist of 37 people on the coast for interim housing and a big need for families, but the rest of the county only has a wait list of about 27. She thinks that is where we all need to advocate for more care because there is a real need. She listened to the PCE meeting where they said nice things about Councilmember Bigstyck and how he will be missed.
Councilmember Bier mentioned that a group of them saw a cool band.
Mayor Vaterlaus stated several of them went to see their City Manager play drums in a band and that was extremely special and an enjoyable time. She stated that she attended Oddstad, CCAG’s regular meeting and legislative meeting, and the Pacifica Democrats meeting where Congresswoman Eshoo was present. She stated that information from Council of Cities about 37 people waitlisted on the coast was concerning and she always asked what about the coast.
She served Senior Thanksgiving dinner along with three firefighters. She stated she will have to go there more often as a senior herself
Mayor pro Tem Beckmeyer stated shared that Thursday, December 19, is the Senior Luncheon at the Community Center for the holiday.
Mayor Vaterlaus shared that the tree lighting at Rockaway Beach is December 1.
Mayor pro Tem Beckmeyer added that Polar Palooza is on December 6.
City Council Regular Meeting 11 November 25, 2024
Mayor Vaterlaus stated that elf markets are on both days after that.
STAFF COMMUNICATIONS
City Manager Woodhouse expressed his thanks and appreciation to our first responding departments during storms, i.e., Public Works, Police and Fire, as on Friday, we had a significant downpour as part of that storm and staff were out and active. He stated that there will be a special meeting on December 5, where Council will talk about short-term rentals and Coastal Commission staff questions on a few points, not the entire program. He stated that, on December 9, it is Council’s reorganization formal meeting. He also shared that two new key employees to the City were announced in recent press releases: Finance and Administrative Services Director Marisol Gómez and Community Development Department Director Samantha Updegrave. They fill two key department director positions for the City and we were thankful for the outcomes of those recruitments and excited to bring them on board. He looks forward to introducing them to everyone, i.e., Council, public, etc.
PUBLIC HEARINGS - NONE.
CONSIDERATION
6. Recology of the Coast’s application for rate increase for 2025 and Consideration of Proposed Third Amendment to Agreement with Recology for Recyclable Materials, Organic Materials, and Solid Waste Collection Services
PROPOSED ACTION:
Move to Adopt a Resolution that:
1. Confirms the Recology of the Coast’s (“Recology”) 2025 Rate Application for a rate increase of 5.09% is accurate and consistent with the annual rate adjustment procedures specified in the agreement with Recology for Recyclable Materials, Organic Materials, and Solid Waste Collection Services (“Agreement”);
2. Approves a Third Amendment to the Agreement with Recology of the Coast to revise section 5.5.02.D.5 of the Agreement to provide grit and screenings disposal services for the Calera Creek Water Recycling Plant and to revise Section 6.01.A, “Designated Disposal Facilities” and Attachment A of the Agreement to revise the location of the organic material disposal facility and authorizing the City Manager to execute the Third Amendment; and
3. Finding the confirmation of the rate increase and the approval of the Third Amendment to the Franchise Agreement exempt under the California Environmental Quality Act (“CEQA”) pursuant to CEQA Guidelines sections 15061(b)(3) and 15308.
Interim PW Director Mullins stated he is joined by Rick Simonson, HF&H financial consultant, and in the audience, Glen Bongi, Recology General Manager. He presented the staff report.
Councilmember Boles thanked Interim PW Director Mullins for the presentation and Consultant Simonson for reviewing it financially. She was curious about Half Moon Bay Ox Mountain, asking if that site is looking to change any of their operations in the future.
Recology General Manager Bongi stated that they met with Ox Mountain last year and they are open to exploring organics recycling and processing at the site but it will be many years in the future. They are looking into doing it and creating a viable business there.
City Council Regular Meeting 12 November 25, 2024
Interim PW Director Mullins thought the challenge we have with Ox Mountain is they could do organics but not sort separation. He did not believe the facility was planning this in the future at this point.
Councilmember Bigstyck stated, with the advent of SB 54, did they think Ox Mountain and beyond will be looking at a more proactively update on how they process things.
Recology General Manager Bongi stated he does not know.
Mayor pro Tem Beckmeyer referred to the change with the organics and asked if what the operational change will be for drivers and trucks and how will it be different now on implementing this change, not going to Ox Mountain with certain material and instead going to San Bruno.
Recology General Manager Bongi stated that Recology has been doing it for about 1 ½ years now. They have one commercial truck that takes up all the restaurants in the City and transport it to the South Bay Waste Management Authority in San Mateo and San Carlos. They have four residential vehicles and they all transport material to the San Bruno Transfer Station and San Bruno backhauls down to South Gellert Organic which is in Pacifica’s area.
Councilmember Boles asked what the grit is. She knows there is dumping of the solid sewage waste also that can go to certain places for reuse, but she does not know if that is the same.
Interim PW Director Mullins stated that the solid waste depends on the flows but, typically, two times a week. Prior to 2015, that was the procedure and in 2015 Pacifica purchased their own vehicle and was transporting the materials themselves. He stated, with increased fuel costs, labor costs, and the truck maintenance costs, they have increased each year and, working with Recology, the rates they received for Recology to do that transporting has been reduced. He stated that it is more economical for us to move forward with that. He stated that it is an operational change as well as improvements.
PW Dep. Director Sun added that grit is inorganic material that staff collect at the pump station, such as sand, egg shells, etc. that is very fine and collected through the sewer collection system that is picked up at the pump station and transferred back to the Calera Creek Water Recycling Plant to put in the van for hauling to the landfill.
Councilmember Boles concluded it is completely separate from the solid sewage waste.
PW Dep. Director Sun responded affirmatively.
There were no public comments.
Councilmember Boles moved to Adopt the Resolution; seconded by Mayor pro Tem Beckmeyer.
RESULT: ADOPTED [UNANIMOUS]
MOVER: Christine Boles, Councilmember
SECONDER: Sue Beckmeyer, Mayor pro Tem
AYES: Vaterlaus, Beckmeyer, Bier, Bigstyck, Boles
City Council Regular Meeting 13 November 25, 2024
7. Consideration and Adoption of Resolution Approving a Third Amendment to Restated Employment Agreement between the City of Pacifica and Kevin Woodhouse as City Manager
PROPOSED ACTION: Move to adopt Resolution approving the Third Amendment to Restated Employment Agreement between the City of Pacifica and Kevin Woodhouse.
City Attorney Kenyon presented the staff report.
There were no public comments.
Mayor pro Tem Beckmeyer thanked City Manager Woodhouse for his service to Pacifica as we are fortunate to have someone of his caliber and we appreciate his recognition of our challenging financial picture. She wished the City could make a greater contribution to his compensation package but she appreciated that we can do what we can do and we appreciate his service to Pacifica.
Mayor Vaterlaus agreed.
Councilmember Bier agreed with Mayor pro Tem Beckmeyer that he deserves so much more than the City is able to give him. She stated that he is the only City Manager that she has ever worked with and she would like to keep it that way for the rest of her tenure on Council. She has learned so much from him and she appreciates everything he does for Pacifica and she hopes the community shows him that kind of respect and appreciation. She stated that City Managers do not stay this long and we are lucky to have him and he is an excellent drummer.
Councilmember Bigstyck stated our City Manager has a long history of supporting our staff and making sure he is not putting himself above our staff as he cultivates and works for us to be a city together. He would hope that our citizens notice and respect the extraordinary work he does and recognize him as a human being and not merely as someone who spends just about every day of his life working to make our community stronger. He thanked him.
Councilmember Boles agrees with everything that has been said. She stated that the community is not privy to Council’s intimate relationship, conversations, education, and questions as they are all including him in looking out for the better of our city and how to bring us to a place that is sustainable and where they can pay more, keep employees, and do good work because, together, they all serve the community of people who live here. She stated he has been here seven years and this has been the hardest year, partly because we have had major staff transitions and filling in that gap and trying to be everything to everyone and keep all the balls rolling and she thanked him for stepping in to that. She stated that they are doing work now that has been kicked down the road for a long time and has been a huge lift for him, staff, Council, Planning Commission, and members of our community to be engaged in so many things at once. She thinks we are all in there for the betterment of the community which includes City Manager.
Mayor Vaterlaus stated it was a quick decision and they would have liked to give him more, as others have said. Council appreciates that he thought about the other staff in his compensation and all the things that he does and what we did this year in terms of big projects and changes of employment and he worked hard.
Mayor Vaterlaus moved consideration and adoption of a Resolution approving the Third Amendment to Restated Employment Agreement between the City of Pacifica and Kevin City Council Regular Meeting 14 November 25, 2024
Woodhouse as the City Manager; seconded by Councilmember Bigstyck.
RESULT: ADOPTED [UNANIMOUS]
MOVER: Sue Vaterlaus, Mayor
SECONDER: Tygarjas Bigstyck, Councilmember
AYES: Vaterlaus, Beckmeyer, Bier, Bigstyck, Boles
ADJOURN
Mayor Vaterlaus adjourned the meeting at 10:02 p.m., in honor of the City Manager.
She wished everyone a happy Thanksgiving, give thanks to everyone and enjoy family and food and all they do on those days.
Transcribed by Barbara Medina, Public Meeting Stenographer.
Respectfully Submitted,
Sarah Coffey, City Clerk
APPROVED: 5 - 0; 12/9/2024
__________________________
Sue Vaterlaus, Mayor