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MINUTES OF FEBRUARY 18, 2025
REGULAR MEETING OF THE SAN GABRIEL CITY COUNCIL
CALL TO ORDER
Vice Mayor Menchaca called the regular meeting of the San Gabriel City Council to order at 6:35 P.M. on Tuesday, February 18, 2025, in the Council Chamber at City Hall, 425 South Mission Drive, San Gabriel, California, 91776, and announced that Mayor Wu was attending via teleconference from New Taipei City in Taiwan at the address listed on the Agenda.
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
The Pledge of Allegiance was led by Council Member Ding.
ROLL CALL
Council Members Present:
Council Members Absent:
Staff Members Present:
CLOSED SESSION REPORT
Eric Chan, Tony Ding, Jorge Herrera Avila, Vice Mayor
Denise Menchaca, and Mayor John Wu (via
teleconference).
None.
City Manager Mark Lazzaretto, Assistant City Attorney
Martin Koczanowicz, Community Services Director
Rebecca Perez, Chief City Clerk Sharon Clark, Fire Chief Steven Wallace, Human Resources/Risk Management
Director Edward Macias, Acting Public Works Director
Szeka Cheng, Acting Community Development Director
Samantha Tewasart, Police Captain Edwin Brock, I.T.
Manager David Tsuen, and Assistant City Clerk Marilyn
Bonus.
A. CONFERENCE WITH LABOR NEGOTIATOR (GOVERNMENT CODE §54957.6) City Negotiators - City Manager Lazzaretto, City Attorney Lemieux, and Human Resources/Risk Management Director Macias.
Regarding the following Employee Organizations - San Gabriel Police Officer's Association, San Gabriel Police Management Group, San Gabriel Firefighter's Association, San Gabriel Fire Management Group and all Unrepresented Employees.
Assistant City Attorney Koczanowicz announced that no reportable action was taken.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
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Chief City Clerk Clark provided information for the public on how to view the meeting.
1. APPROVAL OF AGENDA ORDER
Staff requested that Item 2A, Recognition of Fire Department Promotions, be removed from the agenda and brought back at the March 18, 2025, meeting.
A motion was made by Council Member Chan, seconded by Council Member Herrera Avila, to approve the agenda order as so amended.
Motion carried by a roll call vote of 5-0 as follows:
AYES:
NOES:
ABSTAIN:
ABSENT:
CHAN, DING, HERRERA AVILA, MENCHACA, WU
NONE
NONE
NONE
2. PRESENTATIONS
A. RECOGNITION OF FIRE DEPARTMENT PROMOTIONS
This item was removed from the agenda.
B. RECOGNITION OF MISS FRIENDSHIP ESTHER HO - 2024 MISS LOS ANGELES
CHINATOWN PAGEANT
Vice Mayor Menchaca presented Esther Ho with a Certificate of Recognition.
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Mayor Wu introduced Chen Che-Cheng, Executive Director of Banqiao District in New Taipei City, who invited everyone to visit Banqiao District.
4. CONSENT CALENDAR
A motion was made by Council Member Ding, seconded by Council Member Chan, to approve Consent Calendar Items 4A - 4C as presented.
Motion carried by a roll call vote of 5-0 as follows:
AYES:
NOES:
ABSTAIN:
ABSENT:
CHAN, DING, HERRERA AVILA, MENCHACA, WU
NONE
NONE
NONE
A. APPROVAL OF MINUTES
The City Council approved the Minutes of the Regular City Council Meeting of February 4, 2025.
B. MATERIAL DEMANDS
The City Council approved January 23 and 31, 2025, Material Demands for the payment of City expenditures.
C. CASH AND INVESTMENT REPORT - JANUARY 2025
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The City Council received and filed the Cash and Investment Report for January 2025.
5. PUBLIC HEARING
A. ADOPTION OF RESOLUTION NO. 25-03, RELATED TO PERMANENT LOCAL HOUSING ALLOCATION (PHLA) VEAR 5 FUNDING AND PROPOSED ELIGIBLE
ACTIVITIES
Vice Mayor Menchaca opened the public hearing.
Acting Community Development Director Samantha Tewasart made the staff presentation.
There was no public comment; therefore, Vice Mayor Menchaca closed the public hearing.
Assistant City Attorney Koczanowicz clarified that item 3 of the staff recommendation should read, in relevant portion, "Authorize the City Manager to execute new contracts with LACDA (and any other required documents) .... " Discussion included the submission deadline.
A motion was made by Council Member Ding, seconded by Council Member Chan, to adopt Resolution No. 25-03, which approves the following actions:
1. Elect the following eligible activities, subject to the State approval, for Year S of the 5-year PHLA grant period:
a. The predevelopment, development, acquisition, rehabilitation, and preservation of multifamily, residential live-work, rental housing that is affordable to extremely low-, very low-, or moderate-income households, including necessary operating subsidies.
2. Allocate, upon State approval, $135,222 of the Year S PLHA allocation toward eligible activity #1, and
3. Authorize the City Manager to execute new contracts with LACDA (and any other required documents) for the 5-year PLHA Plan grant period and for Year S of the allocation and make adjustments as necessary to reflect the actual allocation of funds to San Gabriel.
Motion carried by a roll call vote of 5-0 as follows:
AYES:
NOES:
ABSTAIN:
ABSENT:
CHAN, DING, HERRERA AVILA, MENCHACA, WU
NONE
NONE
NONE
B. ORDINANCE NO. 718 AMENDING TITLE XI (BUSINESS REGULATIONS) TO ADD CHAPTER 127 OF THE SAN GABRIEL MUNICIPAL CODE RELATING TO
SIDEWALK VENDING AND AMENDING TITLE VII (TRAFFIC CODE) TO AMEND SECTION 72.012 RELATING TO PARKING BY PEDDLERS AND VENDORS (CA 25-001) - INTRODUCTION AND FIRST READING
Vice Mayor Menchaca opened the public hearing.
Acting Community Development Director Tewasart made the staff presentation.
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Clarifying discussion included that associated fees will be presented for Council consideration in the Master Fee Schedule; provisions for trash disposal; kudos to staff for drafting the proposed ordinance; and that the state does not allow for refusal rights by adjacent business owners.
There was no public comment; therefore, Vice Mayor Menchaca closed the public hearing.
Discussion included the permitting process; enforcement and penalty provisions; outreach to the community; ability to adjust regulations in the future in accordance with state law; addition of provisions for trash disposal; washing stations are covered by the public health code; the ordinance would affect uses in the public right-of-way; addition of a reporting feature on the City website; addition of tables and chairs verbiage to the ordinance; adding noise, lighting and signage provisions to the permit process; and reevaluation of an adopted ordinance at a future time.
A motion was made by Council Member Chan, seconded by Council Member Ding, to:
1. Waive full reading and introduce Ordinance No. 718 by title only: "An Ordinance of the City Council of the City of San Gabriel, California, Amending Title XI (Business Regulations) to Add Chapter 127 of the San Gabriel Municipal Code Relating to Sidewalk Vending and Amending Title VII (Traffic Code) To Amend § 72.012 Relating to Parking by Peddlers and Vendors;" as amended to add language to Section 127.03 (H) regulating trash disposal, and adding Subsection (K) to regulating noise, lighting, and signage as part of the permit process.
2. Waive future reading of the Ordinance and schedule the second reading and adoption of the Ordinance for the next regular City Council meeting.
Motion carried by a roll call vote of 5-0 as follows:
AYES:
NOES:
ABSTAIN:
ABSENT:
CHAN, DING, HERRERA AVILA, MENCHACA, WU
NONE
NONE
NONE
6. CONTINUED BUSINESS - None.
7. NEW BUSINESS
A. AWARD OF PROFESSIONAL SERVICES AGREEMENT WITH HDL
ECONSOLUTIONS FOR AN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT THREE-VEAR ACTION PLAN IN THE AMOUNT OF $59,750
Acting Community Development Director Tewasart made the presentation, clarified that the agreement would be with Hinderliter de Llamas & Associates (Hdl) rather than Hdl ECONSolutions, and introduced Hdl Principal/Managing Director Bill Foster.
There was no public comment.
Discussion included improvements to process to help move projects along; timeline for receiving reports; vacant and under-performing properties are part of the scope; and Hdl's experience with other cities.
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A motion was made by Council Member Chan, seconded by Council Member Herrera Avila, to authorize the City Manager to execute a Professional Services Agreement with Hinderliter de Llamas & Associates in the amount of $59,750 to develop a three-year Economic Development Action Plan, funded in two annual phases- $29,750 for the current fiscal year and $30,000 for the next fiscal year.
Motion carried by a roll call vote of 5-0 as follows:
AYES:
NOES:
ABSTAIN:
ABSENT:
CHAN, DING, HERRERA AVILA, MENCHACA, WU
NONE
NONE
NONE
8. PUBLIC COMMENT - None.
9. CITY MANAGER'S REPORT
City Manager Lazzaretto reminded the community of the lanterns on display in Plaza Park and thanked Mayor Wu for arranging the display.
10. COUNCIL COMMENTS AND CONFERENCE/MEETING REPORTS
Council Member Chan queried Mayor Wu about a lantern design element; and reported on his attendance at Alhambra's Lunar New Year Festival, a monthly Chinese American Citizens Alliance meeting, and a soft opening lunch at the San Gabriel location of Nern by Summer Rolls restaurant.
Council Member Herrera Avila reported on a ride-along with Police Chief Elizalde.
Council Member Ding reported on his attendance at several Lunar New Year events including the San Marino Chinese Club Lunar New Year Festival, and meetings of the San Gabriel Valley Council of Governments (SGVCOG) Energy and Transportation Committees.
Mayor Wu reported on his attendance at the opening ceremony of the Taiwan Lantern Festival in Taoyuan City, Taiwan, and his lantern selection for San Gabriel's next Lantern Festival, and thanked the Taiwan Tourism Administration for providing the lanterns; reported on the signing of a Sister City Memorandum of Understand (M.O.U.) with Magistrate Hsu of Hualien County; reported on a meeting with the directors and managers of Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, and a meeting with Sister City Banqiao District Executive Director Chen Che-Cheng at which they planted a tree in front of the Banqiao District Office; and reported he would be meeting with the Taipei Youth Commission in Taipei City about a possible intern program. In closing, he thanked City Manager Lazzaretto for facilitating the Plaza Park lantern display.
Vice Mayor Menchaca reminded all of the lantern display at Plaza Park until Sunday, February 23, 2025; announced the San Gabriel Police Department is accepting applications for their next Community Academy until March 5, 2025; reported on her attendance at a performance of the Amanda Castro Band at the Mission Playhouse; and encouraged all to check out future events on the Mission Playhouse calendar.
11. CLOSED SESSION - None.
12. ADJOURNMENT
The meeting was adjourned at 8:06 P.M.
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