City Council Meeting
July 22, 2025
Responses to City Council Agenda Questions
7:00 Regular Meeting
Item 6g - 2022-23 Street Rehabilitation Project
1. It would be great to have a short summary of the paving work completed and what is anticipated for the future. Please provide some details on the change order. The return of $2 million is significant.
o RESPONSE: An update on the paving program including the paving work completed and the planned future projects will be provided in a Council digest item, including responses to the other requests on this item.
Item 6j - Downtown Beautification Project Phase 2
1. What type of plantings are intended within the planters? o RESPONSE: The planters will have a cohesive planting throughout the downtown and will be comprised of 4 different planting strategies based on the location, potential visual obstructions and viability of the plant species in the location being planted.
Plant material will include Moonshine Yarrow, Pink Calandrinia, Big Blue Lillyturf, Breeze Mat Rush, Blue Fingers, and Lambs Ear.
Additionally, there will be some planters that will be planted with either Crape Myrtles or Little Gem Dwarf Southern Magnolias. These trees will have the best chance of survival and will add drama to the Avenue. Chinese Elm will also be used in some of the ground plantings.
2. The LED signage project has been placed on hold pending a study for the southern entrance to San Mateo Avenue. Please provide additional detail on the scope of the study and when it is anticipated to begin.
o RESPONSE: As noted previously in the City Council digest and staff reports, the plans for the replacement of the downtown entry LED sign has been paused. This will require additional study and coordination with the City’s Transit Corridors Plan. As part of the work involved in updating the downtown entry sign as part of the downtown beautification, staff discovered that the TCP called for the intersection of San Mateo Avenue and El Camino Real to be reconfigured to a manner that would (1) improve pedestrian access to downtown from across El Camino Real, (2) improve vehicular access to downtown from El Camino Real, and (3) create a plaza area that can serve as prominent, welcoming gateway to downtown. Page 176 of the City Council adopted TCP illustrates this. At this time, the project is not funded and has no anticipated start date.
Responses to City Council Agenda Packet Questions
July 22, 2025
2 The area under the existing sign will be landscaped with drought tolerant materials since the island is not irrigated.
3. How many trees are being planted on Jenevein?
o RESPONSE: There were three locations that were identified as viable locations for trees by the design team. As we start the project, we will continue to work with the contractor to determine if more trees can be considered based on utilities and infrastructure already in place.
4. There are four tree spaces at the southern entrance of downtown San Mateo Avenue. One of the spaces is vacant. Another space has a stunted tree that is significantly smaller than the other two trees? Have these spaces been reviewed for beautification?
o RESPONSE: These trees are going to be replaced with the Chinese Elm that match the trees across the street in front of the Aperture Building.
Item 6k – Daylight Parking Restriction
1. What is the enforcement schedule? How much public notification will be provided? Will warnings be provided on vehicles? Will residents receive door hangers near the proposed enforcement areas?
o RESPONSE: The City will take a reactive approach to enforcement, where it will not proactively look to take enforcement, and will instead respond to calls as they come in. The roll-out of the program began with education through social media, utility mailers, discussions with the TSPC, and then will move on to issuing warning citations (citations that just say “Warning”) for a set amount of time – generally 30 days – and then we will move to actually issuing citations.
Since this approach to reported violations will take effect citywide, the City will not take on hanging door hangars citywide.
2. Where will red cubs be painted to draw more attention to the enforcement of this new law?
o RESPONSE: The City identified high-priority intersections, with emphasis given to those near schools and intersections where data shows higher levels of collisions and take a phased approach to painting those curbs. For other intersections, the City does not plan to paint those intersections.
3. Can the citation amount start at a lower amount and then be raised at the beginning of the year?
o RESPONSE: While theoretically possible, that is not staff’s recommendation and would not align with past practice for other parking violation sections.
4. What are the price ranges for other parking citations? Responses to City Council Agenda Packet Questions
July 22, 2025
3 o RESPONSE: Prices for other parking violations range from $58 to $394, with a general average of just under $100. The cost for other similar parking violation sections is $58.
5. Is enforcement provided by LAZ or the police department? o RESPONSE: There will be a hybrid approach, where LAZ will handle reported violations while they are working and PD will respond when they are off duty.
6. Where will enforcement start? Will the area cycle across the city? o RESPONSE: The City will take a phased approach to enforcement, where it will begin with an educational campaign (with social media, email newsletters, etc.), and then move into an enforcement phase where only warnings are issued, ultimately followed by enforcement.