1 RICHMOND, CALIFORNIA,
SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL MINUTES
April 23, 2024, 4:00 p.m.
Richmond Civic Center Auditorium, Bermuda Room
403 Civic Center Plaza
Richmond, CA 94804
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A. SPECIAL COUNCIL MEETING OF THE RICHMOND CITY COUNCIL The Special April 23, 2024, City Council Meeting was called to order by Mayor Eduardo Martinez at 4:07 p.m.
B. ROLL CALL
Present: Councilmembers Soheila Bana, Gaye McLaughlin, Doria Robinson, Melvin Willis, Cesar Zepeda, Vice Mayor Claudia Jimenez, and Mayor Eduardo Martinez.
Absent: None.
C. AGENDA REVIEW
Facilitator Henry Gardner presented the agenda and there were no changes.
D. CITY COUNCIL GOALS
D.1 City Council and City Staff Effective Communication DISCUSS and CONSIDER enhanced protocols for effective communication and collective efficacy between City Council and City staff – City Manager’s Office (Shasa Curl 510-620-6512).
Facilitator Henry Gardner presented a PowerPoint which included the following:
Review of the ground rules, background, and next steps; organizational chart; what do councilmembers need from the mayor (Councilmember Bana stated that we need to consider equity of all citizens and councilmembers - she used the appointments of councilmembers to boards and commissions as an example); fairness and equity for all districts (Councilmember Mclaughlin stated that the communication from the mayor's office has gotten much better and Councilmember Zepeda stated that he was able to use the link to the mayor's calendar to set up meetings); what does the mayor need from councilmembers; (Mayor Martinez added the following: that councilmember need to be concise, councilmembers need to invest time to complete items, concerned that expectations of Mayor's Office staff to help complete items, consider policy as a city primarily and as a district secondly, Councilmember Willis stated that councilmembers should not call out to the mayor to be allowed to speak, they should practice active listening); and what does the management leadership team need from the city council. Discussion ensued.
Next steps: Staff to finalize revisions of a proposed draft of the City Council's Rules of Procedure and present to the full council for review and approval at the September 10, 2024.
E. PUBLIC COMMENT
2 Cordell Hindler gave comments regarding speakers using inappropriate language, and pulling items from the consent calendar, encouraged the council to treat staff with respect.
F. ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 7:06 p.m., in memory of six- year-old Amadeo Alvarez Jr. who was killed in a crash in Richmond and Cindy Beitman to meet again on Tuesday, April 30, 2024, at 6:30 p.m.
Clerk of the City of Richmond Mayor