CITY COUNCIL MEETING DATE: 08/18/2026
AGENDA REPORT AGENDA HEADING: Consent Calendar
AGENDA TITLE:
Consider appointing five members to the City’s Youth Advisory Committee (YAC) and appointing a Chair, Vice Chair, and Secretary.
RECOMMENDED COUNCIL ACTION:
As recommended by YAC Council Subcommittee Members Seo and Ferraro:
1) Appoint Keanu Pourafzal, Walter Kim, Amara Alegria, and Coco Nie for their first term as members of the YAC;
2) Reappoint Matthew Song for a second term as member of the YAC; 3) Appoint Matthew Song as YAC Chair, Ashley Chan Mott and Amy Wen as Vice Chairs, and Annabelle Huang as Secretary to the YAC for Fiscal Year 2026-27; and,
4) Amend City Council Policy No. 54A to change the eligible grade range requirements for the YAC range from Grades 7-12 to Grades 9-12 FISCAL IMPACT: There is no fiscal impact associated with the above recommended City Council action.
Amount Budgeted: N/A
Additional Appropriation: N/A
Account Number(s): N/A
ORIGINATED BY: Irantzu Pujadas, Administrative Analyst IP REVIEWED BY: Catherine Jun, Deputy City Manager CJ
APPROVED BY: Ara Mihranian, AICP, City Manager
ATTACHED SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS:
A) List of YAC Applicants (Linked)
B) City Council Policy No. 54A (clean copy) (page B-1) (Linked) C) City Council Policy No. 54A (redlined copy) (Page C-1) C) 2026 City Council Assignments (Linked)
BACKGROUND:
1 CITYOF RANCHO PALOS VERDES
On July 18, 2023, the City Council adopted Council Policy No. 54A (Attachment B) to form the YAC, which is a City committee comprised of 13 Rancho Palos Verdes youths in grades 7 through 12. In December 2025, Mayor Seo and Councilmember Ferraro were selected as the YAC Council Subcommittee (Subcommittee) whose role includes recommending appointments to fill any vacancies for City Council consideration (Attachment C).
DISCUSSION:
YAC Appointments
On June 30, 2026, five out of 13 YAC Members - Aiden Cruz, Krystal Deng, Kieran Peterson, Mayah Singh Barrett, and Matthew Song - concluded their terms, opening up five vacancies. Furthermore, as of July 1, 2026, the following Members remained on the YAC and will continue to do so until their current terms expire on June 30, 2027.
NAME TERM BEGAN TERM
EXPIRES
FIRST
APPOINTED
1 Ashley Chan-Mott 08/18/2025 06/30/2027 08/19/2025
2 Brian Coulon 08/19/2025 06/30/2027 08/19/2025
3 Annabelle Huang 08/19/2025 06/30/2027 08/19/2025
4 Gianna Jeon 08/19/2025 06/30/2027 08/19/2025
5 Mattia Magnatta^ 08/19/2025 06/30/2027 01/16/2024
6 Landon Park 08/19/2025 06/30/2027 08/19/2025
7 Valentina Sherer^ 08/19/2025 06/30/2027 10/01/2024
8 Amy Wen 08/19/2025 06/30/2027 08/19/2025
9 Vacant 08/01/2026 TBD*
10 Vacant 08/01/2026 TBD*
11 Vacant 08/01/2026 TBD*
12 Vacant 08/01/2026 TBD*
13 Vacant 08/01/2026 TBD* ^ Member currently serving a second consecutive term *Term expiration date will vary, depending on student’s grade level at the time of appointment-per Council Policy No.
54. Students in 8th and 12th grade who will transition out of their current schools the following year serve only one-year terms; students in all other grades serve two-year terms.
Since April 2026, the City began soliciting applications to fill the 5 vacancies and received a total of 23 applications from a talented group of students (Attachment A). One application was submitted by former member Matthew Song, who concluded his first term on June 30, 2026 and seeks to be reappointed to a second term. Given that he remained in good standing with the YAC, was involved in multiple projects that are continuing into this fiscal year, and will lend institutional knowledge to the YAC, the Subcommittee recommends reappointing him to a second term expiring on June 30, 2028.
Staff also reviewed each of the 23 applications (Attachment A) and narrowed them down to 10 who were invited to interview with the Subcommittee on July 30, 2026. Following 2 careful consideration of their applications, skillset, and interviews, the Subcommittee recommend the following students for appointment to a 1st term with the YAC:
Recommended for appointment to a first term:
• Keanu Pourafzal – Peninsula High School, grade 12 (term expiring 6/30/2027) • Walter Kim –Palos Verdes High School, grade 10 (term expiring 6/30/2028) • Amara Alegria – Peninsula High School, grade 9 (term expiring 6/30/2028) • Coco Nie –Palos Verdes High School, grade 12 (term expiring 6/30/2027) Chair, Vice Chairs, and Secretary Appointments
The Subcommittee recommend appointing a Chair, two Vice Chairs, and one Secretary through June 30, 2027. All the recommended members served on the YAC in prior year(s), remained in good standing, and expressed interest in a leadership position. The following members were selected, based on their experience working on the YAC and their leadership skills:
• Chair: Matthew Song
• Vice Chairs: Ashley Chan-Mott and Amy Wen
• Secretary: Annabelle Huang
City Council Policy No. 54A Amendment
The Subcommittee recommend amending the eligible grade range requirements for the YAC from Grades 7 through 12 to Grades 9 through 12. The proposed amendment would allow the YAC to focus on students in the upper grade levels who may have greater availability and capacity to participate in YAC activities, meetings, community events, and City programs. This amendment would also help ensure that YAC members are able to meaningfully engage in the YAC’s responsibilities and contribute to its ongoing projects and initiatives.
Attached for City Council consideration is an amended City Council Policy No. 54A in both track changes and clean versions (Attachment B).
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
The first YAC meeting of the FY 2026-27 school year will be held on September 14, 2026 at 4:15pm at the Community Room located at Ken Dyda Civic Center. Per the FY 2026- 27 City Council Goals, the YAC’s focus will be on mental health, participation in City sponsored events and leadership conferences and promotion of important issues affecting youth such as e-bike safety and environmental sustainability.
CONCLUSION:
3 The Subcommittee recommend the City Council appoint five members to the YAC; appoint a YAC Chair, Vice Chair, and Secretary to the YAC for Fiscal Year 2026-2027; and amend City Council Policy 54A.
ALTERNATIVES:
In addition to Staff’s Recommendations, the following alternative actions are available for the City Council’s consideration:
1) Do not approve one or more appointments and request the Subcommittee to make additional recommendations for future consideration.
2) Do not amend City Council Policy No. 54A.
3) Take other action as deemed appropriate.
4 C-1
CITY COUNCIL POLICY
NUMBER: 54A
DATE ADOPTED: July 18, 2023
AMENDED:
SUBJECT: Youth Advisory Committee
POLICY:
MISSION STATEMENT
The mission of the Youth Advisory Committee is to advocate for the needs of the youth by elevating youth voices to improve their overall well-being and allow the youth to engage with the inner workings of local government.
FUNCTION
In the Youth Advisory Committee, student Committee members will:
• Learn about and become involved with local government. Not only will they take part in City work, but they will also help improve the quality of life for the youth community in the City of Rancho Palos Verdes. Committee members will receive feedback from their peers and use this information to recommend solutions to rising issues.
• Learn about the inner workings of local government and will receive guidance and a new understanding of how the City’s goals are developed and implemented. • Receive feedback from the youth community to improve the quality of life for children and teenagers.
• Help to inform the youth community about ongoing events, programs, and other activities within the City of Rancho Palos Verdes.
• Help provide the youth with the opportunity to voice their opinions and propose issues within the city or any area they may have.
• Assist with City projects or planning of City events.
MEMBERSHIP
Participants must have written parental consent.
The Committee will have 13 members who are a part of the Rancho Palos Verdes Community, meaning that these students must live within the city of Rancho Palos Verdes.
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Members may range in grade from 9
th 7th to 12th grade. Students may serve terms of
different length based on their grade level. Students may not serve more than two terms regardless of other term conditions, and when there is a vacancy in the committee, a new committee member will be appointed to fill that absence.
Students in 7
th and 9th
-11th grade will serve terms that are two years in length. 8 th and 12th
grade students will serve terms that are one year in length. Students may serve a total of two terms regardless of grade and term length.
Terms may be renewed at the end of one’s term. Returning members may not serve more than two consecutive terms.
Members must attend meetings and participate in activities and events that are hosted or organized by the Committee.
Committee members that acquire two or more absences throughout a single term may be terminated from the Committee at the discretion of the Council subcommittee.
Consideration may be made to return at a later time to complete the term.
Whenever a vacancy occurs, the Council subcommittee shall fill the vacancy for the remainder of the term.
COMMITTEE MEMBER SELECTION
Committee members will be selected by the City Council for showing previous participation in their community and other related activities. These selected Committee members must plan to serve at least one 1-year term.
The City Council will elect a Chair and Vice Chair that will lead the committee for the following term. The selected Chair and Vice Chair will have specific leadership roles and responsibilities.
The Chair and Vice Chair must serve at least one year on the Committee before being selected for the role with exception of the first year of the Committee.
If either the Chair or Vice Chair vacates their seat at any point throughout a term, the subcommittee can elect another Committee member to fill that position for the remainder of the term.
Committee members must actively participate in the Committee meetings.
STAFF LIAISON
One senior member of City staff shall be appointed by the City Manager as the YAC’s Staff Liaison, and they or their designee must be present at all meetings.
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The meeting agendas and minutes will be prepared by the Staff Liaison prior to the meeting date, with input from the Committee Chair and the Council subcommittee.
MEETINGS AND AGENDAS
The Youth Advisory Committee will hold meetings as deemed appropriate throughout the duration of the school year and will be on hiatus during the summer break. All meeting agendas will be provided to the Committee members and anyone in attendance.
Meetings will be held at the City of Rancho Palos Verdes Ken Dyda Civic Center in the Community Room. Should the location change, appropriate notifications and postings will occur. These meetings will last for approximately one hour. a. All meetings shall be open and public, and all persons shall be permitted to attend any meeting, and they may not be recorded.
b. Meeting timeframes will be established with the staff liaison that best fits the schedule of students.
c. A quorum is formed when more than half of the Committee members are present. d. No business may be conducted unless a quorum of members is present at a meeting.
e. A written agenda must be prepared for each regular or adjourned regular meeting of each legislative body.
f. Action or discussion on any item not appearing on the posted agenda is generally prohibited.
g. The agenda must be posted within 72 hours of the meeting time. h. There must be a brief description that is sufficient to inform the public about the nature of each item on the agenda.
i. Committee members will take suggestions for topics or activities that may come up during a “future agenda items” item on the agenda. They may also obtain suggestions from anyone in the youth community and bring up the suggestions on their behalf during that item.
j. Emails and text messages by Committee members regarding Committee business may be subject to public disclosure under the California Public Records Act. k. A majority of Committee members shall not discuss Committee matters outside of the meetings.
l. No Committee member shall respond to, comment on, or share any other Committee member’s social media post relating to Committee business.
WORKPLAN
The committee will cooperate with city staff liaison to prepare an annual work plan that will be presented to City Council for approval. The work plan shall include a review of the Committee’s goals, activity feedback, project progress, and results from events hosted by the Committee. Throughout the year, there will be two check-ins to discuss with City Council the progress that the Committee has made throughout that period.
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CITY COUNCIL SUBCOMMITTEE
The City Council subcommittee will consist of two City Council members. The subcommittee will oversee the Committee application review and interviewing process.
The subcommittee will have the final decision in selecting those that will be accepted into the committee.
COMPENSATION
Students will not receive paid compensation for their participation in the Youth Advisory Committee. This is a volunteer program.
Students may use this program to receive volunteer service hours based on their amount of participation in the Youth Advisory Committee.
CODE OF CONDUCT
Because the Youth Advisory Council’s members are minors, individuals who attend meetings will be required to avoid foul language and personal attacks. Respectful discourse, including disagreement, are encouraged.