April 13, 2026 1
San Carlos City Council/Successor Agency to the
Redevelopment Agency/Housing Authority Regular Meeting
Council Chambers, City Hall
600 Elm Street, San Carlos, CA 94070
April 13, 2026 7:00 PM
MINUTES
ROLL CALL
City Council Present:
City Council Absent:
Pranita Venkatesh, Mayor
Neil Layton, Councilmember
Sara McDowell, Councilmember
Adam Rak, Vice Mayor
John Dugan, Councilmember
Staff Present: Nil Blackburn, Interim City Manager
Andrea Mardesich, Assistant Community Development Director Rebecca Mendenhall, Administrative Services Director
Crystal Mui, City Clerk
Amy Newby, Parks and Recreation Director
Gregory Rubens, City Attorney
Al Savay, Community Development Director
Tracy Scramaglia, Assistant Public Works Director
Chris Valley, Building Official
1. CALL TO ORDER
Mayor Venkatesh called the meeting to order 7:04 p.m.
2. TELECONFERENCE ANNOUNCEMENTS BY COUNCIL
None.
3. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
Mayor Venkatesh led the Pledge of Allegiance.
4. CHANGES TO THE ORDER OF THE AGENDA
None.
5. REPORT FROM CLOSED SESSION
None.
6. PRESENTATIONS
a. Present a Proclamation Recognizing April 2026 as Parkinson’s Awareness Month.
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Mayor Venkatesh presented a proclamation recognizing Parkinson’s Awareness Month to resident Chris Westland.
Mr. Westland, on behalf of the local Parkinson’s community , shared his experience living with Parkinson’s disease and emphasized the importance of raising community awareness.
b. Present Proclamations Recognizing Central Middle School and Tierra Linda Middle School for Receiving the 2026 California Distinguished School Designation.
Mayor Venkatesh recognized Tierra Linda Middle School and Central Middle School upon receiving the 2026 California Distinguished School Award.
Tierra Linda Principal Charu Gulati and Central Middle School Principal Thomas Domer accepted the proclamations on behalf of their school communities and credited the dedication of staff, students, parents, and the San Carlos community for the schools’ success.
7. COUNCIL COMMUNICATIONS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
Mayor Venkatesh invited the community to participate in the City’s Earth Day event on Sunday, April 19 at 9:00 a.m in Wheeler Plaza.
8. PUBLIC COMMENT
Zinovy Fichtenholz, a resident representing the Highlands community and the Heather Homeowners Association, raised concerns regarding the 808 Alameda development project and requested the Council to withhold the project’s final permits to remove trees.
Gerald Moreno, a resident, requested bicycle infrastructure improvements on Industrial Road near Circle Star and raised concerns about overgrown sidewalk vegetation.
Amy Walsh, a resident, sought guidance on pursuing storm drain infrastructure funding on Beverly Drive.
Mayor Venkatesh directed staff to follow-up with all the public commenters.
9. CONSENT CALENDAR
MOTION: Adopt City Council Consent Calendar Items ‘a’ through ‘m’; and Item ‘n’ – adopt Ordinance No.1634 Amending the San Carlos Zoning Map and Title 18 - Zoning Ordinance, of the San Carlos Municipal Code Temporarily Excluding Sites Within the MU -DC-100 Mixed-Use Downtown Core, MU-D- 120 Mixed-Use Downtown, MU-SC-120 Mixed-Use San Carlos Avenue, and RM-100 Multiple Family Zoning Districts that are Within 0.25 Miles of the San Carlos Caltrain Station, Pursuant to Senate Bill (SB) 79, the Abundant and Affordable Homes Near Transit Act; and
Item ‘o’ – adopt Ordinance No. 1635 Amending Planned Development Ordinance 1265 and Adopting a Planned Development (PD) Plan for the Property Known as the San Carlos Elms Senior Assisted Care Facility (APN 050- 152-320) 707 Elm Street (PD-14).
MOVER: Layton
SECONDER: McDowell
AYES: Layton, McDowell, Venkatesh
NAYS: None
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ABSENT: Dugan, Rak
RESULT: Motion Passed 3 – 0 – 2
a. Motion to Waive Reading of All Ordinances.
b. Approve the City Council February 23, 2026 Regular Meeting Minutes.
c. Approve the City Council March 6, 2026 Special Meeting Minutes.
d. Approve the City Council March 7, 2026 Special Meeting Minutes.
e. Accept the Quarterly Reports from City Commissions and Boards.
f. Adopt a Resolution Appropriating an Additional $32,032 from the General Capital Fund (Fund 25) Unassigned Fund Balance to the Corporation Yard Roof Replacement and Solar Panel Upgrade Project C2410. Resolution 2026-032
g. Adopt a Resolution Approving the Parcel Map for the 549 Prospect Street Development, Assessor Parcel Number 050-034-150. Resolution 2026-033
h. Adopt a Resolution Awarding the San Carlos Library Makerspace Project and Authorizing the Execution of a Public Projects Agreement with Foundry Construction, Inc. of Oakland, California in the Amount of $789,288 Plus a 15% Contingency, for a Total Not-to-Exceed Amount of $907,681.20. Resolution 2026-034
i. Adopt a Resolution Approving the Specifications for the 2026 Sewer Lateral Replacement Project (C1737) and Authorizing a Call for Bids. Resolution 2026-035
j. Adopt a Resolution Approving the Plans and Specifications for the Library Elevator Upgrade Project (C2518) and Authorizing a Call for Bids. Resolution 2026-036
k. Adopt a Resolution Approving the Specifications for the 2026 Sewer System CCTV Inspection Project (C1736) and Authorizing a Call for Bids. Resolution 2026-037
l. Adopt a Resolution Authorizing the Execution of an Agreement between the Metropolitan Transportation Commission and the City of San Carlos for Technical Assistance for the Pavement Management Technical Assistance Program. Resolution 2026-038
m. Adopt a Resolution Approving the Amendment to the Agreement with Azul Works, Inc. to Grant Temporary Use of the City -Owned Property at 1800 El Camino Real for Construction Staging Associated with the Harrington Park Refresh Project at No Charge and Authorizing the Execution of the Amendment and Any Related Documents. Resolution 2026-039
n. Adopt Ordinance 1634 Amending the San Carlos Zoning Map and Title 18 - Zoning Ordinance, of the San Carlos Municipal Code Temporarily Excluding Sites Within the MU-DC-100 Mixed-Use Downtown Core, MU-D-120 Mixed-Use Downtown, MU-SC-120 Mixed-Use San Carlos Avenue, and RM-100 Multiple Family Zoning Districts that are Within 0.25 Miles of the San Carlos Caltrain Station, Pursuant to Senate Bill (SB) 79, the Abundant and Affordable Homes Near Transit Act.
o. Adopt Ordinance 1635 Amending Planned Development Ordinance 1265 and Adopting a Planned Development (PD) Plan for the Property Known as the San Carlos Elms Senior Assisted Care Facility (APN 050-152-320) 707 Elm Street (PD-14).
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10. REPORTS TO COUNCIL
a. Receive an Update Regarding Pacific Gas & Electric Company’s (PG&E) Compliance with the City’s Utility Notification Policy.
Assistant Public Works Director Tra cy Scramaglia presented an update on PG&E’s compliance with the City’s Utility Notification Policy and outlined the proposed modifications to the Policy that PG&E has agreed to. She and City Attorney Greg Rubens responded to Council questions.
Public Comment
- Daniel Mzzean, resident, shared his experience with the delay PG&E had on his project.
Council expressed appreciation to staff for their work and provided the following direction:
- Continue to hold PG&E accountable.
- Continue providing Council with updates on the effectiveness of the new notification policy and PG&E's compliance.
- Set a clear timeline of 30 to 60 days for PG&E to resolve the backlog of permits.
11. NEW BUSINESS
a. Consideration of Adopting a Resolution Adopting the City of San Carlos 2026 Strategic Plan.
Interim City Manager Nil Blackburn presented on the proposed 2026 Strategic Pla n and highlighted key changes to the objectives under each goal.
Council directed staff to make the following edits to the Strategic Plan’s work plan:
- Housing Goal - Objective 2, Action 2: Add the F Street Project. - Mobility, Traffic and Transportation Infrastructure Goal – Objective 3, Action 2b: Provide additional detail regarding the Crestview Drive Pilot Improvements Project. - Mobility, Traffic and Transportation Infrastructure Goal – Objective 6, Item e: Include greater specificity, including the names of schools and number of visits. - Remove ongoing routine items from the work plan to better emphasize strategic initiatives.
MOTION: Adopt Resolution 2026-040 Adopting the City of San Carlos 2026 Strategic Plan.
MOVER: McDowell
SECONDER: Layton
AYES: Layton, McDowell, Venkatesh
NAYS: None
ABSENT: Rak, Dugan
RESULT: Motion Passed 3 – 0 – 2
12. AGENDA SETTING
a. Consideration of Agendizing an Informational Item to Provide a Breakdown on the Cost of Downtown Project Phase 1B.
Council Member Layton requested that an item be agendized to review the costs associated with Phase 1B of the Downtown Project to provide additional transparency.
Council Member McDowell and Mayor Venkatesh concurred on the importance of transparency and requested that the information be presented once the numbers are more definitive.
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b. Consideration of Agendizing an Item to Discuss the Walnut Street Development Proposed by MidPen Housing and San Mateo County.
This item was deferred, as Council Member Dugan, who submitted the request, was absent.
13. ADJOURNMENT
Mayor Venkatesh adjourned the meeting at 8:20 p.m.
Crystal Mui,
City Clerk