City of Patterson Page 1 Updated 6/10/2026
City of Patterson
Regular Meeting Minutes
April 21, 2026
City Manager
Fernando Ulloa
City Attorney
Nubia Goldstein
Deputy City Attorney
Douglas White
www.pattersonca.gov
Mayor
Michael Clauzel
City Council
Gabriela Hernandez, District A
Jessica Romero, District B
Kendra Mora, District C
Carlos Roque, District D
City Clerk
Aracely Alegre
1. Call to Order
Attendance Attendee Name, Title
Present Gabriela Hernandez, District A, Councilmember
Jessica Romero, District B, Councilmember
Kendra Mora, District C, Councilmember
Carlos Roque, District D, Councilmember
Michael Clauzel, Mayor
Absent None
The regular meeting of the City Council of the City of Patterson of April 21, 2026 was called to order in the City of Patterson at 7:09 p.m. by Mayor Clauzel.
City Staff Present:
City Manager Ulloa
Assistant City Manager Willett
City Attorney Goldstein
Acting Fire Chief Hakola
Finance Director Williams
Associate Planner Rodriguez
Deputy Public Works Director Barrera
Deputy Director of Regulatory Compliance & Administrative Services Delgado IT Manager Marty
Water Resources Program Manager Encinas
Community Development Director Stice
City Engineer Rodriguez
Police Chief Hill
Acting Human Resources Director Callum
Projects Manager Ferreira
Public Information Officer Castro
City of Patterson Page 2 Updated 6/10/2026
City Clerk Alegre
2. Pledge of Allegiance
3. Statements of Conflict
None.
4. Items from the Public
Any member of the audience who wishes to address the Council on a matter not listed on the agenda may do so by raising your hand and stepping to the podium. If you are joining the meeting through Zoom, please use the 'Raise Hand' feature. If you are calling in by phone, you may press *9 when the Mayor announces the item. Council will take no action other than referring the item to staff for study and analysis and may place the item on a future agenda (Resolution 92-25).
In order that all interested parties have an opportunity to speak, any person addressing the Council will be limited to a maximum of three (3) minutes unless the Mayor grants a longer period of time (Resolution 2025-11).
Please State Your Name and City for the Record.
Yvonne Reynolds – Thanked volunteers who participated in Love Patterson and Spoke in support of expanding the Little Free Library program throughout Patterson to promote literacy.
Susan Sawyer, Librarian for Patterson Branch – Announced National Library Week, upcoming library events, and the Patterson Library's 50th anniversary celebration.
Kandace Weyhrauch – Recognized and thanked volunteers who participated in Love Patterson Day.
Justin Farkas, Representative for the Office of Assemblymember Juan Alanis – Love Patterson thanks to volunteers. Provided a legislative update.
Cindy – Spoke regarding the April 7, 2025 ICE-related shooting involving a Patterson resident and requested Council action related to ICE operations and transparency.
Family Member of Detained Patterson Resident – Spoke regarding concerns related to ICE enforcement activities and impacts on local families.
Representatives of Dare to Struggle and Faith in the Valley – Requested Council consideration of measures related to ICE operations, transparency, accountability, and independent investigation of related law enforcement actions.
City of Patterson Page 3 Updated 6/10/2026
Additional Community Members (including Alyssa, Sunjay, Nat, Tracy Gonzales, Anne Marie Salgado, Jerynne Cenario, Bianca Lopez, Marcus, Griselda Rojas, and others participating via Zoom) – Spoke regarding the ICE-related incident involving a Patterson resident and urged transparency, accountability, and Council action.
Marco Almada – Expressed support for the Council and acknowledged the challenges surrounding the incident.
Ceris Toscano – Requested transparency regarding the incident, including the release of available records and an independent investigation.
5. Consent Calendar
Councilmember Mora, District C motions to approve. The motion was seconded by Councilmember Hernandez, District A and by a 5-0 roll call vote.
RESULT: Approved
MOVER: Mora, District C
SECONDER Hernandez, District A
AYES: 5 Hernandez, District A, Romero, District B, Mora, District C, Roque, District D, Clauzel
NAYS: 0 None
RECUSED: 0 None
EXCUSED: 0 None
5.1. Motion to Waive Readings – All Reading of Ordinances and Resolutions, Except by Title are hereby waived.
5.2. Approve the Meeting Minutes for March 17, April 2, April 7, 2026 (Closed and Regular Sessions) and approve the April 6, 2026 City Council Special Town Hall Meeting Minutes.
5.3. Approve City Department Reports for the Months of January - March 2026 (City Clerk, Community Development, Engineering, Finance, Fire, Public Works, and Recreation and Community Services).
5.4. Approve City Commission Reports for the Month of March 2026 (Parks, Recreation and Beautification Commission and Senior Commission).
5.5. Adopt Resolution No. 2026-21 in Concurrence with the Stanislaus Urban County and Stanislaus HOME Consortium Annual Action Plan for Fiscal Year 2026-2027 and Support of Submission to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
5.6. Approve Resolution No. 2026-22 Approving the Community Development Block Grant Agreement Between the County of Stanislaus and the City of Patterson for FY 2024-2025 and Approve Resolution No. 2026-23 Approving the Community Development Block Grant Agreement Between the County of Stanislaus and the City of Patterson Page 4 Updated 6/10/2026
City of Patterson for Fiscal Year 2025-2026 and Authorizing the City Manager to Execute the CDBG Agreements.
5.7. First Amendment to Lease Agreement with the County of Stanislaus for Property Located at 301 S. 1st Street
6. Presentation
6.1. Presentation- Energy Efficiency Project Update
Deputy Director Will Barrera and Water Resource Manager Marie Encinas presented an update on the proposed energy efficiency and renewable energy project with Alliance Building Solutions, LLC (ABS). The project had been proposed across ten city facilities at an estimated cost of $4,800,000 (approximately $9,500,000 over the 20-year financing term), encompassing solar system upgrades, HVAC replacements, LED lighting, roof replacements, and solar inverter upgrades, pursuant to Government Code Section 4217.
Staff reported that the project would not move forward as originally scoped for two principal reasons. First, the city is actively evaluating chromium-6 (Chrome 6) water treatment options, with analysis pointing toward wellhead treatment using skid-mounted systems requiring 7,000–8,000 square feet of space per well site — the same space proposed for solar installation — making it premature to proceed with solar construction at those locations. The estimated cost savings from the preferred wellhead treatment approach compared to a centralized treatment approach are approximately $20,000,000.
Second, with respect to the existing south solar array at the Water Quality Control Facility, staff presented information on recurring inverter outages, noting that the appropriate path forward is to repair the existing system rather than undertake the more costly replacement proposed under the ABS scope.
Staff outlined next steps including centralizing coordination of energy-related projects through the City Manager's Office, designating a single staff point of contact, continuing the evaluation of water treatment options, and maximizing the performance of the existing solar systems pending a capital improvement project for the south array inverter.
City Manager Fernando Ulloa confirmed that all future project coordination would be directed through the City Manager's Office, with a single designated point of contact to ensure clear and consistent communication.
Mayor Pro Tem Roque asked several questions regarding project oversight, accountability, and whether staff had explored a revised scope with ABS that would exclude the well sites. Staff acknowledged that no formal request had been made to ABS to revise the scope to repair rather than replace the south array inverter, and confirmed that the rebate incentive available through the end of the following year remained accessible for any future solar project.
7. Public Hearing
7.1 (NOTICE: This item was previously noticed as a public hearing for this meeting but will not be considered at this time. An opportunity for public comment will be provided but this item has been removed from the agenda.) City of Patterson Page 5 Updated 6/10/2026
Approve Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Contract with Alliance Building Solutions, LLC (ABS) and Authorize Execution of Related Agreements and Financing Pursuant to California Government Code Sections 4217.10– 4217.18 and Authorize the Director of Finance to Appropriate Funds as Needed to Carry Out Related Expenses.
Mayor: Open/Close Item to Public Hearing
The Mayor confirmed this item was removed from the agenda. Public comment was received as noticed.
At 8:31 p.m. Mayor Clauzel opened the Public Hearing.
Community member Kandace Weyhrauch raised concerns regarding the transparency of the process, questioned the adequacy of oversight during the project's development, and noted that a Public Records Act request submitted on April 6th remained outstanding. She also questioned certain statements made by the City Attorney at a prior meeting regarding the status of the agenda packet. The City Attorney clarified that the issue had been an inconsistency between the HTML and PDF versions of the posted agenda, acknowledging that the PDF version was complete, but that the HTML version was not, and expressed that no intent to mislead was present.
John DeMio, President of ABS, addressed the Council and stated that ABS was already working on a revised, descoped project proposal that would remove well site solar installations and revise the south array work to repair rather than replace the inverter. He noted the project still offered substantial value to the city including lighting upgrades at eight sites, HVAC replacements at thirteen sites, thermostatic controls, and approximately $350,000 in available federal Investment Tax Credit (ITC) rebates, and indicated ABS would continue to work with the City Manager's Office.
Community member Adrian Ayala expressed concern that the project had proceeded as a no-bid contract and urged the Council to obtain competitive bids for any project of this magnitude.
Several online commenters, including Yolanda and Cat, raised questions about the technical feasibility of solar over well sites and the performance of the existing Chevron solar project. Staff responded that the skid-mounted treatment vessels require open exposure for maintenance and cannot be placed beneath solar canopies. Cat raised concerns that the existing Chevron solar project appeared to have underperformed its promised savings over the past decade and questioned whether the administration had tracked performance against original projections.
There being no further comments, Mayor Clauzel closed the public hearing at 8:51 p.m.
8. City Council Items
A. Councilmember Hernandez
Nothing to report.
City of Patterson Page 6 Updated 6/10/2026
A.1. Stanislaus Homeless Alliance (Councilmember Mora alternate) A.2. Stanislaus County Hazardous Waste Advisory Committee (Councilmember Mora alternate)
B. Councilmember Romero
Nothing to report.
B.1. San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District (Mayor Pro Tem Roque alternate)
C. Councilmember Mora
Nothing to report.
C.1. Workforce Development Board (Mayor Pro Tem Roque alternate) D. Mayor Pro Tem Roque
Mayor Pro Tem Roque had no EDAC report and offered an apology to Mayor Clauzel for his absence from the StanCOG meeting the prior week. He also noted that the Stanislaus County Mayor's Meeting is scheduled for May 15th. Under other matters, Mayor Pro Tem Roque formally renewed his prior request that the item regarding a potential third-party feasibility review of the city's League organizational structure be brought forward, stating his goal was to ensure the most informed decision possible.
D.1. (EDAC) Stanislaus County Economic Development Action Committee (Councilmember Romero alternate)
E. Mayor Clauzel
E.1. Stanislaus County Mayor's Meeting
May 15th.
E.2. StanCOG (Mayor Pro Tem Roque alternate)
E.3. League of California Cities (Mayor Pro Tem Roque 1st alternate, Councilmember Romero 2nd alternate)
Other Matters
Mayor Clauzel provided an update on the Salado Creek Bike Trail construction, noting steady progress on irrigation installation in topside trail areas and ongoing structural stabilization work beneath the Sperry Avenue Bridge. He explained that the temporary lane closures on Sperry Avenue were required for worker safety during demolition and construction beneath the structure, and that weather-related restrictions governing concrete placement in the protected City of Patterson Page 7 Updated 6/10/2026
waterway had extended the timeline. Removal of traffic controls was anticipated within approximately three weeks.
Mayor Clauzel also directly addressed Cindy, the fiancée of Carlos Mendoza, expressing the Council's concern for the family and clarifying that prior attempts to contact her through the attorney had not been successful. He affirmed that work was ongoing behind the scenes and offered his personal contact information.
Councilmember Mora stated that she had been in contact with Faith in the Valley and had formally requested a special meeting, calling on her colleagues to support convening one to address the community emergency response plan and the circumstances surrounding the Carlos Mendoza incident. She noted that three council members would need to concur to schedule such a meeting.
Councilmember Romero echoed the sentiment, acknowledging the difficulty of the situation and emphasizing that the community must be willing to call out behaviors that are not acceptable, regardless of political considerations. She noted that local officials, while limited in authority over federal agencies, are obligated to hold the bar on civil rights protections. 8:59
9. Adjournment
There being no further business, the regular meeting of the City Council of the City of Patterson of April 21, 2026 was adjourned at 8:59 p.m.
Approved by the Patterson City Council on July 21, 2026.