January 14, 2026 1
San Carlos City Council/Successor Agency to the
Redevelopment Agency/Housing Authority Special Meeting
Library Community Room, 2nd Floor
610 Elm Street, San Carlos, CA 94070
January 14, 2026 9:00 AM
MINUTES
ROLL CALL
City Council Present:
City Council Absent:
Pranita Venkatesh, Mayor
John Dugan, Councilmember
Neil Layton, Councilmember
Sara McDowell, Councilmember
Adam Rak, Vice Mayor
Staff Present: Nil Blackburn, Assistant City Manager
Baraka Carter, Fire Chief
Lisa Costa Sanders, Principal Planner Consultant
Rucha Dande, Principal Planner
Sajuti Haque, Economic Development and Housing Manager
Paul Harris, Financial Services Manager
Hanieh Houshmandi, Senior Traffic Engineer
Grace Le, City Engineer
Steven Machida, Public Works Director
Jeff Maltbie, City Manager
Andrea Mardesich, Assistant Community Development Director Rebecca Mendenhall, Administrative Services Director
Crystal Mui, City Clerk
Mark Myers, Police Chief
Amy Newby, Parks and Recreation Director
Lisa Porras, Planning Manager
Gregory Rubens, City Attorney
Al Savay, Community Development Director
Tracy Scramaglia, Assistant Public Works Director
Alex Tat, Principal Engineer
Quinne Woolley, Management Analyst
1. CALL TO ORDER
Mayor Venkatesh called the meeting to order at 9:05 a.m.
2. PUBLIC COMMENT
Ron Collins, resident and former San Carlos Mayor, requested Council prioritize an aquatic center and noted that he would support a tax measure campaign.
3. STUDY SESSION
a. Strategic Planning Retreat
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Mayor Venkatesh welcomed the group, thanked staff for their efforts, noted that significant changes are anticipated this year, and encouraged everyone to trust the process.
City Manager Jeff Maltbie recognized staff for their hard work and highlighted the teamwork and caring culture that make the San Carlos team unique.
Assistant City Manager Nil Blackburn opened the retreat by presenting an updated visual, shifting from the “iceberg” model to a “tree” model. The tree depicted clearly visible branches and canopy representing overarching initiatives, extensive roots symbolizing day- to-day operations, and a new layer —the trunk —representing the goals and objectives established at last year’s strategic retreat.
Facilitator Shawn Spano set the context for the retreat and invited the Council to participate in a warm-up exercise by identifying their priorities for the year. The Council agreed on the successful completion of Downtown Phases 1A and 1B, emphasizing the importance of thorough communication and effective management of disruptions.
Ms. Blackburn led a presentation covering the Strategic Goals, related plans, achievements, funding gaps, and options, along with the City’s long-term financial forecast.
The presentation also included other city projects and their costs for context. After each Strategic Goal was presented, the Council provided the following feedback:
Strategic Goal – Downtown
- Maintain the goal for 2026.
- Explore options to address the $4.9 million funding gap, including grants. - Consider redevelopment of the properties to help establish the desired look and feel of the downtown.
- Develop a comprehensive, detailed plan for the successful completion of Phases 1A and 1B, including identifying key staff roles and establishing an Economic Prosperity Team.
- Develop policy alternatives for desired Downtown business mixes and uses (e.g. preserving ground floor retail), identify available implementation tools (e.g., an overlay zone), and hold c losed sessions, as appropriate, to clarify legal considerations and areas within Council’s control.
- By this time next year, define the focus area for Phase 2, including evaluating alleyways and determining when they should be addressed.
Strategic Goal – Recreation Services
- Maintain the goal for 2026, with revised language to emphasize implementation of planned projects as the primary focus.
- Prioritize the Adult Community Center’s kitchen remodel project - Reduce the priority of the North Crestview Parks Master Plan objective. - Separate the community pool into a stand-alone project, distinct from the Community Center.
- Council expressed general support for prioritizing funding for projects that are fiscally manageable and provide community-wide benefits, including the identified short-term projects and select mid-term projects.
- Enhance the attractiveness of parks to encourage public use during periods of downtown construction.
- Continue to pursue and evaluate the strategic acquisition of school property; send a letter to the Sequoia Union High School District reaffirming the City’s interest. - Develop an objective in the context of the Park Masterplan that factors in Laureola Park, the acquisition of School District Property and possibly a community pool.
January 14, 2026 3
Strategic Goal – Mobility/Transportation
- Advance mid-term improvements to U.S. 101/Holly Street as a priority. - Pursue County contributions for the Crestview Drive and Edmonds Road roundabout.
- Allocate savings from paving projects to fund implementation of the enterprise tool. - Prioritize tangible, visible community improvements, with an emphasis on projects that reduce resident frustration.
Strategic Goal – Northeast Area Specific Plan
- Consider an objective to explore the legal implications of downzoning and density reductions.
Strategic Goal – Climate Mitigation Adaptation Plan
- Prioritize projects that enhance business friendliness and reduce east side flooding. - Ensure accountability for Belmont project funding to support timely delivery and cost control.
- Prioritize resilience projects with strong ties to businesses, Downtown, other strategic priorities, and residents —focusing on efforts that can be integrated into existing workflows or new projects.
- Base project prioritization on engineering analysis.
Strategic Goal – Housing
- At the upcoming management retreat , discuss workforce housing with the S chool District and Samtrans upzoning tradeoff/downzoning downtown.
Council provided the additional general feedback:
- Remove items from the workplan if designated as “ongoing”; retain strategic issues with defined target dates.
- Develop options for a revenue measure for Council review and approval in June, including a clear case for a sales tax measure.
- Do not commit or earmark funds to specific constituents or groups as a matter of policy.
- Develop a City policy for strategic land acquisitions and funding beyond the Downtown for Council consideration in 2026, including opportunities to bundle acquisitions and identify funding strategies citywide.
- Review staffing needs, including the use and cost comparison of City staff versus consultants.
4. ADJOURNMENT
The meeting adjourned at 2:45 p.m.
Crystal Mui
City Clerk