From:Rosemary Wrenn
To:City Council
Subject:Public Comment on Agenda Item 12.B-9/1/2026
Date:Tuesday, September 1, 2026 4:41:03 PM
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Dear Pismo Beach City Council,
Thank you for the opportunity to share my perspective with you. I am unable to attend the meeting tonight due to having to work.
I am writing in reference to Agenda Item 12.B - Renaming Palisades Park to Mary Ann Reiss Park.
I appreciate the tremendous commitment to our City that Mary Ann Reiss has demonstrated over the past 30 years. I agree that this service should be formally acknowledged and memorialized by the City.
I would like to register my concern about the manner in which this agenda item has evolved, absent any real notice or solicitation of input from the community. (The only way I learned about it was from a colleague who happened to see it listed in this week’s agenda.) As noted in the agenda item, the cost for this change is estimated to be less than $15,000, which the report notes is a “minor” financial impact (it is somewhat concerning that this amount is considered to be “minor”). In fact, new signage, information materials, and City records will need to be changed. Given that the two carved wooden signs in Palisades Park are relatively new, it is disappointing to know that the City considers these new signs disposable. It seems the City might use that $15,000 to benefit Pismo Beach residents in a more constructive manner, such as improving infrastructure, providing resident parking discounts, or other civic access improvements that would more directly impact daily living here. Additionally, while there are several parks named after individuals throughout the City, this can be a problematic practice, as not all individuals elicit unanimous support.
Again, I absolutely support the City of Pismo Beach formally recognizing the many years of service Mary Ann Reiss has contributed to the community. I do not question that she has earned recognition through great dedication and sacrifice.
My concern with this agenda item moving forward is the lack of transparency in the process, the considerable resources to be expended, and the principle of naming public spaces after individual people. I certainly hope that future decisions that impact residents and visitors throughout Pismo Beach will be handled in a more forthright and transparent manner.
Rosemary Wrenn
Shell Beach