1 City of Portola
AGENDA
Special Meeting
Tuesday, August 18, 2026 05:00 PM
35 Third Ave, Portola, CA 96122
https://www.cityofportola.com/
https://zoom.us/j/3583067836
Mayor Bill Powers • Mayor Pro Tem Mikki Battaglia • Councilmember Jim Murphy • Councilmember Lauren Miller • Councilmember Stephan Mangum
City Manager Ryan Bonk
REASONABLE ACCOMMODATIONS
The City Council welcomes you to its Special Meeting of the City Council at 5:00pm on Tuesday August 18, 2026. Your interest and participation is encouraged and welcome.
As a courtesy, the City Council meeting is also accessible to the public via live streaming at:
https://zoom.us/j/3583067836 or by phone at: Phone Number 1.669.900.6833; Meeting ID: 358 306 7836. Online and telephonic access does not guarantee the public the ability to observe the meeting in the event there is a disruption or connectivity issues that affect broadcasting.
Members of the public who want to be assured that they have the ability to observe the meeting and make comment during the meeting, should attend the meeting in-person.
Any person desiring to address the City Council or any committee, commission or agency under the jurisdiction of the City Council, on any item not on the agenda may do so during public comment period. Public comment during the meeting will be accepted in person only. Public Comment can be made on the online agenda by clicking on the "comment" section next to each agenda item listed below.
Agenda backup materials can be viewed by selecting the 'View Item' link on the agenda below, at https://civassist.com/district/49/agenda in the agenda packet for the specific meeting date, or in person at City Hall, 35 Third Avenue, Portola, California, during regular business hours. Meeting facilities are accessible to persons with disabilities.
Reasonable efforts will be made to accommodate the participation of persons with disabilities in the City’s public meetings. If special accommodation is needed, please notify the City at 530.832.6801.
2 1. Call to Order
A. Roll Call
B. Pledge of Allegiance
2. Public Comments
Discussion Comment
This section is intended to provide members of the public with an opportunity to comment on any subject that does not appear on this agenda. Please note that California law prohibits the City Council from taking action on any matter which is not on the posted agenda, unless it is determined to be an urgency item by the City Council. Any member of the public wishing to address the City Council during “PUBLIC COMMENT” shall first secure permission of the presiding officer, stand; may give his/her name and address to the Clerk for the record. Each person addressing the City Council shall be limited to five minutes ordinarily, unless the presiding officer indicates a different amount will be allotted.
3. 2026 General Municipal Election
Discussion Possible Action Comment View Item
Staff to present attached staff report. Council to review and interview applicant for the 2-year Council seat.
Council to consider actions available to fill the 4-year and 2-year Council seats up for election in the 2026 General Municipal Election.
4. Adjournment
1 MEETING DATE: August 18, 2026
AGENDA ITEM: 3. 2026 General Municipal Election
FROM: Ryan Bonk
RE: 2026 General Municipal Election
BACKGROUND:
During the Regular Meeting of the City Council on 08/12/2026, the City Elections Official presented to the City Council the Certificate of the City Elections Official that is attached to this staff report.
Following the Regular Meeting, the application window was opened on 08/13/2026 for applicants to the 2- year City Council seat. The application window closed on 08/17/2026 at 12:00PM.
The City has received one (1) application for this seat. The application is attached to this staff report.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
After the Regular Meeting of the City Council, the following conditions were met from the Certificate of the City Elections Official:
1. Publication and posting: The City Elections Official shall publish and/or post notice of the facts described above and the courses of action available under section 10229(a) on the City of Portola’s website.
2. Five-day waiting period: The City Council may make the appointments, or direct that an election be held, only after the fifth day following the date of posting or publication of the notice.
Based on the Certificate of the City Elections Official, the City Council is now considering the following actions:
(a) Appoint to the office of the 4-year seats persons having been nominated (Elec. Code § 10229(a)(1)); (b) Appoint to the office of the 2-year seat any eligible elector, no person having been nominated (Elec.
Code § 10229(a)(2));
(c) Hold the election (Elec. Code § 10229(a)(3)).
2 RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends that the City Council review and interview the applicant for the 2-year term.
Staff recommends that the City Council take action to adopt one of more of the following course of actions listed as (a), (b), and (c) in the executive summary.
FISCAL IMPACT:
If the City Council takes action to proceed with (a) and (b), there will be no financial impact.
If the City Council takes action to proceed with (c) there will be an estimated cost of $10,000 for the election process.
ATTACHMENTS:
A. CERTIFICATE OF THE CITY ELECTIONS OFFICAL - SIGNED
B. F-026A APPLICATION FOR CITY COUNCIL. GICKLHORN 08162026 C. GICKLHORN RESUME 19JULY2026
Document Name Application for City Council Vacancy
Document Number F-026 Revision Letter A
Document Location SharePoint Revision Date 10/14/2025
Document Type Form Council Adoption Date NA
Resolution No. NA
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APPLICATION
FOR CITY COUNCIL
Persons interested in being appointed to the City Council are encouraged to submit an application to the City. Completed applications and a cover letter, resume, and/or any additional information an applicant would like the City Council to consider must be submitted to the City Manager no later than 12:00 p.m. on Monday August 17, 2026 via email at [email protected] or in person at City Hall, 35 Third Avenue, Portola, CA 96122.
All applications will be reviewed and interviews will be held at a Special Meeting of the City Council at 5:00 p.m. on August 18, 2026, during which the Council may make an appointment. All applicants are encouraged to attend the August 18, 2026, City Council Special Meeting. The appointment to the City Council may be made at same Special Meeting of the City Council and become effective after the general election to be held on November 3, 2026, and after the selected person has been appointed and taken the oath of office. The selected person will serve as a Council member until the general municipal election in November of 2028.
The individual selected should be able to participate in Council meetings, and Commissions and Committees as appointed. The City Council holds regular meetings on the 2nd and 4th Wednesday of each month at 6:00 p.m.
Please note, you must be a resident and registered voter of the City of Portola and at least 18 years of age to be considered for and appointed to the City Council.
Applicant Name:
Residence Address:
Mailing Address (if different):
Phone Number:
Email Address:
Jeffrey Gicklhorn
580 Ridge St, Portola, CA 96122
(925) 285-0389
[email protected]
Document Name Application for City Council Vacancy
Document Number F-026 Revision Letter A
Document Location SharePoint Revision Date 10/14/2025
Document Type Form Council Adoption Date NA
Resolution No. NA
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Please state the reasons why you should be considered for appointment by the City Council:
Provide a Summary of Background Experience (resume may be attached):
Please list memberships in community organizations and/or professional memberships:
Present Occupation:
Employer:
Describe your tenure in the community and/or region as a whole:
Outline your vision for the City of Portola:
Describe why you are interested in the appointment:
National Forest Foundation
Project Coordinator (Project Manager) - implementing large-scale hazardous fuels reduction and forest restoration projects in partnership with the Plumas National Forest (and other NFs in NorCal).
Until April, 2026, I spent the last nine years working in local government (Pima County, AZ and City of Missoula, MT) and have thorough understanding of operational and financial constraints as well as public expectations within local government. I have a broad background in ecology and natural resource management that would be applicable in guiding implementation of the City's 2045 General Plan as well as numerous specific plans.
Society for Ecological Restoration - Professional Membership (expired) Association for Fire Ecology - Professional Membership (expired) No local community org memberships (yet!).
Through my experience working in local governent, I have developed a passion for contributing to my community. Portola has an excellent vision, within guiding plans, etc, but generally lacks both staff capacity and resources to fully implement that vision. I am excited about supporting collaboration and creative problem solving to address City needs, and potentially expand services beyond the current scope (e.g. Community Forest concept) to continue to build our quality of life.
I am interested in serving on City Council as a way to directly contribute to my community. Through my prior experience and understanding of local government operations, I understand both the expecatations of elected officials (appointment in this case) and constraints placed on municipal employees. I see this opportunity as a way to help the City continue to grow and work through challenging issues (Parks & Rec, wildfire risk reduction, water quality, efficient operations, etc)..
Quality of life and moderate cost of living are hallmarks of the City. I see a need to continue to build quality programs (Parks & Recreation, support economic deveopment) while maintaining costeffective City services to keep up with ageing infrastructure needs. I would be excited to see additional public engagement and volunteer opportunities (these may be achived through partnerships) to further leverage passionate residents' energy and stretch the City's limited operational budget.
I moved to Portola in spring of 2026. I grew up in northern California, and spent four years living in Reno, NV. I am very familiar with southeast Plumas County and the greater Portola area. In our recent move, my family chose Portola specifically for it's balance of community and opportunity.
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NOTICE TO APPLICANTS: Appointment to this position will require you to make information available as to any potential conflict of interest and to file a Statement of Economic Interest (Form 700) with the City. The Form 700 is a public record and is available to the public on request. Appointment to this position will also require you to take and periodically update certain training.
I have read, understand, and will abide by the statement above. I have sufficient time to devote to this responsibility and plan to attend the required meetings if appointed to fill the vacancy and further certify that the foregoing information is true and correct. 6/2026 Date:
Signature:
Applications are due by 12:00 p.m. on Monday August 17, 2026.
Resolution No.
NA
NA
Document Number
Document Name
Document Type Form
Application for City Council Vacancy
Revision Letter A
SharePoint
F-026
Document Location Revision Date 10/14/2025
Council Adoption Date
Any foreseen issues with time commitments related to the appointment (City Council meetings, committee assignments, etc.):
Occasional work travel (two-three weeks per year) - these could potentially conflict with Council meetings, etc.
SUBMITTAL OF APPLICATION: Please submit the completed application to the City Manager. Completed applications and additional material may be submitted electronically to the City Manager via email at [email protected] or in person drop-off at City Hall located at 35 Third Avenue, Portola, CA, 96122.
08/16/2026
Jeff Gicklhorn
580 Ridge Street, Portola, CA 96122
(925) 285-0389 – [email protected]
Professional with 15+ years of experience working in natural resource and recreation management at all levels of government. 5+ years of direct program management and staff supervisory experience. Experienced in building and maintaining collaborative partnerships as well as hiring, training, and mentoring staff at all levels.
Skilled in many technical skills, including GIS, data management, resource planning, project management, inventory and monitoring, public outreach and engagement, holistic restoration ecology, contract and grant development and management, public outreach and engagement, and budget development and management. Passionate about supporting and implementing holistic management practices, especially at local levels and scales, where impacts directly benefit local communities.
Education Experience
M.S. in Natural Resources and Environmental Science Sept 2017 University of Nevada, Reno | Reno, NV
Graduate research project working with USDA – Agricultural Research Service, to assess efficacy of post-fire restoration seeding on sagebrush rangelands on Bureau of Land Management lands in northern Nevada and southern Oregon.
B.S. in Environmental Systems: Ecology, Behavior, and Evolution Aug, 2010 University of California, San Diego | La Jolla, CA
Work Experience
Northern Sierra Project Coordinator Apr 2026 – Present
National Forest Foundation | Missoula, MT
Coordinator for NFF’s Northern Sierra Program, working to support existing partnership with the Plumas NF to implement the landscape-scale Community Protect – Central and West Slope and smaller Mendicino NF agreements. Actively coordinate with project, agency, and community partners and contractors to plan and implement fuels reduction and forest restoration projects. Tasks include implementing project planning, procurement, contracting, grant writing, geospatial data management and analysis, and budget tracking. Currently working to support broader organizational GIS initiatives with NFF’s GIS team thereby improving contracting consistency and project based public outreach.
Conservation Lands Superintendent Apr 2025 – April 2026 Conservation Lands Program Manager Mar 2021 – Apr 2025
City of Missoula, Parks & Recreation | Missoula, MT
Superintendent for the City of Missoula Parks and Recreation Conservation Lands Program. Actively oversee the maintenance and management of ~5,000 acres of City owned open-space Conservation Lands, with valuable wildlife species habitat, important natural and cultural resource values, and >75 miles of recreational trails. Hire, train, supervise, and direct a team of 10 professional and field staff, with up to six seasonal employees per year.
Serve as staff liaison to the citizen Conservation Lands Advisory Committee. Work with dozens of project, agency, and community partners to accomplish planned projects. Oversee annual program budget of approximately $1.4 million. Have successfully led or partnered on over $800k in implementation-focused grants (forest/grassland restoration, fuels mitigation, recreation development). Tasks include overseeing planning (recreation, property development, restoration, forestry work, general programmatic), staff work planning and implementation, public engagement, grant development and administration (writing, tracking, reporting), budgeting and tracking, and permanent and seasonal staff recruitment, training, supervision, discipline, and evaluation. Current certifications include MT state herbicide applicator license and MT Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan Administrator.
Additional trainings include Project and Change Management Essentials coursework.
Ecological Monitoring Program Coordinator Oct 2017 – Mar 2021 Pima County, Office of Sustainability and Conservation | Tucson, AZ Ecological Monitoring Program team member for the Pima County Multi-Species Conservation Plan (ESA Sec. 10(a)(1)(B) Incidental Take Permit). Designed and implemented science-based inventory and monitoring protocols for 44 covered plant and animal species (8 federally listed) across >250,000 ac of County owned and leased Conservation Lands. Worked with many agency partners to facilitate project implementation and covered species recovery actions. Program outputs used for both USFWS regulatory compliance and daily County land management decision making.
Graduate Research Assistant Aug 2014 – Sept 2017
University of Nevada, Reno, Natural Resources & Environmental Science Dept | Reno, NV Graduate research project working with USDA – Agricultural Research Service Research Ecologist Beth Newingham, to assess efficacy of post-fire restoration seeding on sagebrush rangelands on Bureau of Land Management lands in northern Nevada and southern Oregon. Coordinated with USGS and BLM partners to implement planned research. Trained and supervised multiple seasonal technicians to perform high-quality field data collection. Presented at multiple professional conferences, submitted thesis research to Restoration Ecology.
Natural Resource Specialist/Range Technician Sept 2012 – Aug 2014 Bureau of Land Management, Ridgecrest Field Office | Ridgecrest, CA Term Position - Program lead for the Soil, Water, Air, & Botany programs, including for NEPA planning processes.
Secondary program responsibilities for Range, Invasive Weeds, and Renewable Energy programs. Additional responsibilities include providing technical support to Abandoned Mine Lands (AML) and Wildlife Biology programs, assisting office in GIS support/mobile GIS program rollout, and mentoring two Conservation and Land Management Botany Interns. Worked with many community groups to increase scope of existing programs and outreach.
Conservation & Land Management Intern Mar 2012 – Aug 2012 Chicago Botanic Garden | Bureau of Land Management, Needles, CA Grant-funded position examining Mojave Fringe-toed Lizard (Uma scoparia) distribution and site occupancy at isolated habitat sites to compile a comprehensive species inventory and to determine factors that might affect occupancy within the BLM Needles Field Office. Established and repetitively sampled 30+ walking transects to determine lizard density, sand compaction, and vegetation cover and diversity. Produced final report for BLM, US Fish & Wildlife Service, and California Department of Fish & Wildlife on occurrence records and sampling protocol for Uma scoparia.
Spring Survey Technician (Research Associate) Sept 2011 – Jan 2012 Great Basin Institute, Reno, NV | Bureau of Land Management, Winnemucca, NV Research project inventorying and mapping spring sources and associated characteristics for Greater SageGrouse and other wildlife use within the Santa Rosa and Lone Willow Sage-Grouse Population Management Units (PMU) with Winnemucca BLM District. Located, inventoried riparian characteristics and vegetation/wildlife impacts, assessed overall health of riparian area, and mapped over 550 spring sources in 12 weeks of field work.
Habitat Assessment Technician (AmeriCorps Intern) Jun 2011 – Sept 2011 Great Basin Institute | Reno, NV | Nevada Department of Wildlife, Reno, NV Sage Grouse Habitat Assessment Technician for the Nevada Department of Wildlife. Implemented the Assessment, Inventory, and Monitoring protocol to collect pre-treatment baseline data on planned greater sage grouse restoration sites in northern Nevada. Significant plant species identification knowledge.
Line Distance Sampling Technician Mar 2011 – May 2011
Institute for Wildlife Studies | Las Vegas, NV
Line Distance Sampling Technician for the annual USFWS Desert Tortoise Monitoring Protocol. Walked 12km line transects over rough terrain, handled over 100 Desert Tortoises, permitted biologist on USFWS permit.
Student Research Assistant Jan 2010 – Jul 2010
UC San Diego Natural Reserve System | San Diego, CA
Senior research internship working on the active management of the federally endangered Light-footed Clapper Rail population in the Kendall-Frost Marsh Reserve in Mission Bay, San Diego. Performed nest checks, nesting platform upkeep and maintenance, predator trapping, and population analysis during the breeding season.
Presented findings and suggestions for improved monitoring to USFWS officials and the Light-Footed Clapper Rail Management Team.
Physical Science Technician Jun 2008 – Sept 2008
National Park Service | Sierra Nevada Inventory & Monitoring Network | Three Rivers, CA Surveyed high-alpine, backcountry lakes for contaminants and water quality in Sequia/Kings Canyon National Parks as part of initial season of Sierra Nevada Vital Signs Project. Conducted surveys for threatened amphibian and stocked fish at all lakes sampled. Spent 8-10 days in backcountry setting, ensuring high quality data collection.
Volunteer Experience
Board Member – Advocacy Committee Chair Aug 2018 – Mar 2021 Sonoran Desert Mountain Bicyclists (501c3) | Tucson, AZ Board member for mountain bike non-profit working to develop sustainable recreation outreach and education initiatives. Received an AZ State Sustainable Education Program grant to fund ‘Be Cool’ outreach campaign targeting user etiquette on high use/conflict trails in the greater Tucson area.