CITY OF PACIFICA
COUNCIL AGENDA SUMMARY REPORT
3/7/2026
1 SUBJECT:
City Council Strategic Plan Update and Priority Setting through June 2027 RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Undertake a facilitated strategic planning workshop to review the adopted Strategic Plan and to provide direction on the highest priorities through the next fiscal year ending June 2027.
STAFF CONTACT:
Yulia Carter, Assistant City Manager
650-501-6004
[email protected]
BACKGROUND:
Since at least 2017 the City Council has convened annually to identify and review the key priorities to be considered during the development of the City’s next annual budget. This process has ensured that the City’s most important issues are addressed within the context of changing priorities, emergencies, and extremely limited financial resources.
In 2023 the City Council elevated the prior annual priority-setting process into a comprehensive Strategic Plan, which is a best practice for high-functioning organizations. The Strategic Plan includes a Mission, Vision, Values, and Goals to be focused on and achieved from 2023 through 2030.
The Strategic Plan also includes the top Strategies necessary for achieving each Goal, with the Strategies subject to review, clarification, and prioritization during each annual process prior to the development of the City’s annual budget. This annual prioritization process to achieve longer-term Goals helps focus and manage the City’s scarce resources.
Of particular note for this strategic planning workshop is the City Council’s consistent direction each year that “Goal 1 - Enhance organizational and fiscal stability” is fundamental to making progress on any of the City’s other Goals and Strategies.
The Pacifica Strategic Plan, as adopted on May 8, 2023 and updated on April 14, 2025, is available on the City website at City of Pacifica Strategic Plan 2023 to 2030 <https://www.cityofpacifica.org/home/showpublisheddocument/15033/638216486222930000>.
Attachment A is a two-page summary of the City’s adopted Strategic Plan.
DISCUSSION:
The Council’s workshop meeting on Saturday, March 7, starting at 9 am, is an important opportunity for the City Council to discuss and provide direction on possible changes to the Pacifica City Council 2
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City’s Strategic Plan Strategies and other priorities. Facilitator Greg Larson is returning to prepare for and support the City Council’s deliberations during the workshop.
Mr. Larson has facilitated dozens of local government priority-setting and strategic planning workshops. In addition, he previously served as City Manager of Los Gatos, Milpitas and Cupertino (interim); as Environmental Services Director for the City of San Jose; as Community Development Director for Santa Cruz, Scottsdale, and Gilroy (interim); and as chief staff fiscal or budget officer for the State of California, the City of San Jose, the Starr King School of Ministry, and First 5 Santa Clara County (interim). Mr. Larson has been elected to the Santa Cruz County Board of Education, currently serving as Vice President, and appointed to the City of Santa Cruz Historic Preservation Commission. He is also an Eagle Scout and graduate of Stanford University, where he was elected student body co-president.
Based on Mr. Larson’s extensive experience, his review of prior City Council meetings, and other preparations for Saturday’s workshop, he has prepared a draft Discussion Outline which is provided as Attachment B. Given the City’s very challenging fiscal decisions required over the next four months and significant organizational leadership transitions over the next nine months, the Outline focuses the Council’s discussion on achieving the City’s value of “Collaborative Teamwork” and “Goal 1 - Enhance organizational and fiscal stability.” As in years past, he will also provide a PowerPoint to guide the Council’s discussion on Saturday.
Attachment C provides an updated fiscal forecast, incorporating a preview of the FY 2025-26 Mid-Year Budget Update scheduled for Council consideration on March 9, 2026, as well as the revised 10-year financial forecast. Based on a review of current fiscal conditions, the projected FY 2026-27 General Fund deficit has been revised from $3.1 million to approximately $3.4 million. This projection does not yet reflect recent developments related to the Vehicle License Fee (VLF) backfill, totaling approximately $1.1 million due to the City next year, which is currently in jeopardy.
If ongoing countywide lobbying efforts are unsuccessful and the full VLF backfill allocation is cut, the City’s FY 2026-27 projected deficit would increase from approximately $3.4 million to approximately $4.5 million.
As this year’s update represents the midpoint of the FY 2023-2030 Strategic Plan horizon, staff has included Attachment D to provide additional context and a more comprehensive assessment of progress to date.
Attachment D offers a high-level overview of implementation progress, including overall status, remaining active initiatives, progress by fiscal year and by strategic goal, cumulative workload across fiscal years, and organizational capacity considerations. It also outlines vacancy levels and other contextual factors like staff leadership transitions, and policy maker changes and delays at all levels of government, that have influenced the pace and sequencing of implementation.
Attachment E is the annual update to the City’s Strategic Plan Work Program using the City’s AchieveIt software application. The Work Program is staff’s management tool to achieve each of the Council’s adopted Goals and Strategies.
Also included, for information purposes, is an additional Strategy at the end of each Goal section listing the “Ongoing, non-discretionary or previously initiated projects and services” associated with that Goal. This additional information is provided to better understand all of the competing workloads, priorities, and projects within each Goal area.
Staff has updated the Status columns as appropriate to provide a summary of the work progress Pacifica City Council 3
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since as of December 31, 2025.As in previous years, the color-coded Status indicator definitions are as follows:
Achieved - The related work was completed on schedule or ahead of schedule On Track - The work is progressing as scheduled
Not Started - The work has not started yet, which may include items scheduled to begin at a later date
Off Track - The work is not progressing as scheduled; corrective action may be needed At Risk - The work is significantly off track, possibly affecting project completion Canceled - Task is no longer relevant and is being removed from the workplan The AchieveIt software and Work Program tracking are new internal tools being developed and utilized by staff to track the City Council’s strategic direction. An updated Work Program for FY 2026-27 will be presented in the coming months when the Strategic Plan Update is brought before the Council for adoption, incorporating the Council’s workshop direction as possible given the limited financial resources available.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no fiscal impact associated specifically with the City Council’s Strategic Plan Update and Priority Setting workshop. The Council’s direction will be reported for review and action in the coming months and then incorporated as appropriate in budget planning for next year.
ORIGINATED BY:
City Manager's Office
ATTACHMENT LIST:
Attachment A - City of Pacifica Strategic Plan (Updated April, 2025) (PDF) Attachment B - PacificaSP2026 DISCUSSION OUTLINE (PDF)
Attachment C - Updated Financial Forecast (PDF)
Attachment D - City of Pacifica Mid-Point Strategic Plan Overview 2026-3-7 (PDF) Attachment E - City of Pacifica Strategic Plan Overview (all items, 12-31-25) (PDF)