Special Meeting of the City Council on the City Roadmap from COVID to Recovery
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2021
* COVID-19 NOTICE *
Consistent with the California Governor’s Executive Order No. N -29-20, Resolution No. 79485 from the City of San José and the Santa Clara County Health Officer’s March 16, 2020 Shelter in Place Order, the City Council meeting was not physically open to the public.
The Committee meeting was teleconferenced from remote locations and convened at 1:30 p.m.
PRESENT: Councilmember Sergio Jimenez , Vice Chair; Vice Mayor Chappie Jone s, Councilmember Matt Mahan; Councilmember Magdalena Carrasco; Mayor Sam Liccardo.
CITY STAFF: City Manager, David Sykes , Chief of Staff, Office of the City Manager, Lee Wilcox; Assistant City Manager Jennifer Maguire; Deputy City Manager Kip Harkness; Director of Civic Innovation, Dolan Beckel; Deputy City Clerk, Ruth Krantz.
3.1 Special Meeting of the City Council on the City Roadmap: From COVID to Recovery.
Deputy City Manager, City Manager’s Office, Kip Harkness laid out process to be discussed, to:
(a) Accept the report on the implementation of the Fiscal Year 2020-2021 City Roadmap to, among other things:
(1) Develop a common understanding of the City Roadmap as a prioritization framework for change initiatives; and
(2) Discuss why the City Roadmap is needed at this moment in time. (b) Provide feedback for initiatives on the Fiscal Year 2021-2022 City Roadmap to be considered as input for the budget process.
The Mayor and Councilmembers will develop a common understanding of the City Roadmap as the framework for prioritization of change initiatives. Staff will articulate why the City Roadmap is needed at this moment in time. In addition, the Mayor and Councilmembers will provide guidance for initiatives on the Fiscal Year (FY) 2021-2022 City Roadmap to be considered as input for the budget process.
City Manager, David Sykes provided opening comments, and Deputy City Manager, Kip Harkness began the presentation.
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- 2 - February 25, 2021
City Roadmap from COVID to Recovery Study Session
February 25, 2021
Deputy Director Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services, Andrea Flores Shelton continued with an emerging shared vision for the community, healing and economic recovery and discussed intersectionality among the community. Kip Harkness followed up with a range of new services to respond to many crises faced this year and introduced the revised San José City Roadmap.
Assistant to the City Manager, Zulma Maciel continued with “Embedding Racial Equity into the City Roadmap”.
Mayor Sam Liccardo spoke to the memoranda provided by him and Councilmember Raul Peralez and Councilmember Matt Mahan. Mayor Sam Liccardo further discussed his recommendations to the ‘process issue’. He noted that either the “Roadmap” could be accepted as presented, or motions may be made to change individual items. Discretionary policy items C-F could then be addressed.
Motion: Councilmember Raul Peralez moved support to Mayor Sam Liccardo’s February 25, 2021 memorandum to:
1. Modify the City Roadmap and Priority Setting exercise to enable Council to vote up-or down on a full adoption of the City Roadmap Initiatives in the FY 2020-2021 City Roadmap (Appendix B, Table 1), after allowing individual Councilmembers to make motions to remove any items through a standard motion-making process.
2. Direct the City Manager to adjust the number of points allocated to each Councilmember to enable us to proceed with the prioritization exercise solely as to the backlogged, referred, and new discretionary policy items. (Appendices C, D, E, and F, Tables 2-5).
3. Direct the City Manager to indicate whether any of the discretionary policy items in Tables 2-5 can be combined based on similarities.
And including Councilmember Raul Peralez memorandum dated February 23, 2021 to Direct the City Manager to completely halt Phase 2 of the Electronic Billboard Policy priority item and remove it from the 2020-2021 City Roadmap of projects slated for completion by June 2021. Councilmember Sylvia Arenas seconded the motion.
The motion was revised to: Allow the Mayor and Councilmember to choose individually to remove any items through a standard motion-making process. The Mayor and Councilmember will then vote on the adoption of the City Roadmap Initiatives. The City Roadmap with return to a future meeting with a clear process for addition additional items to the City Roadmap.
Action: On a call for the question, the motion carried unanimously. (11-0.)
Mayor Sam Liccardo opened the floor for public comment.
- 3 - February 25, 2021
City Roadmap from COVID to Recovery Study Session
February 25, 2021
Public Comments : Twenty-six members of the public spoke , including members of the Sierra Club, Mothers Out Front, Greenbelt Alliance, Walk San José, Committee for Green Foothills, Save the Bay, and the Native Plant Society, who offered support to urban greening, reaching our climate goals and the devastation of climate change, removing garbage removal from creeks, and keeping the billboard ban in place. Sameena Usman, American Islamic Relations, and additional speakers offered support to Councilmember Sergio Jimenez’ surveillance technology proposal and privacy protections, and constituents offered support to exempting the cannabis medical marijuana tax.
COVID relief efforts were promoted, along with youth involvement and keeping parklet al fresco seating a permanent commitment. Sean Kali -rai spoke to the importance of cannabis legislation ; Jeffrey Buchanan expressed support to updates to the contracting ordinance, economic recovery task force and others. Art advocate, Mike McGee spoke to the impact on the arts/entertainment community.
Councilmember Pam Foley requested that the billboard item be bifurcated and heard first.
Action: Upon motion by Councilmember Raul Peralez, seconded by Councilmember Matt Mahan, and carried unanimously , the City Manager was directed to completely halt Phase 2 of the Electronic Billboard Policy priority item and remove it from the 2020 -2021 City Roadmap of projects slated for completion by June 2021. (11-0.)
Action: On a call for the question, the motion carried unanimously to approve “Appendix B”, “The Basic Roadmap”. (11-0.)
Councilmember Raul Peralez recommended that CR1, CR7, CR13, CR14 were worthy of further discussion. Director, Community Energy Department, Lori Mitchell addressed spoke to the importance of CR14, “Lowering PG&E Above Market Costs for Clean Energy”.
Rosalynn Hughey, Director, Planning, Building and Code Enforcement spoke to zoning issues.
Removal of CR7 “Electrical Service for Major Development” and CR13 were discussed.
Action: Upon motion by Councilmember Raul Peralez , seconded by Councilmember David Cohen, CR13 “Increase in San José Airport (SJC) Air Passenger Levels” was removed. (11-0.)
Discussion followed regarding CR2, CR4, CR17, and CR26.
Director, Environmental Services, Kerrie Romanow responded to questions regarding CR4. It was determined to leave on CR2 “BART + High -Speed Rail Strategy” and CR4 “Climate Smart American Cities Climate Challenge”.
Deputy Director Chris Burton responded to questions regarding CR17 “North San José Strategy”, and Rosalynn Hughey, Director, Planning, Building and Code Enforcement responded to questions regarding CR26 “Soft-Story Building Earthquake Retrofit Policy”.
- 4 - February 25, 2021
City Roadmap from COVID to Recovery Study Session
February 25, 2021
Assistant to the City Manager, Zulma Maciel responded to questions regarding CR10 “Equity Strategy Development”.
Due to time constraints, the Mayor recommending leaving “Part B” for another meeting. The City Roadmap with return to a future meeting with a clear process for addition additional items to the City Roadmap.
OPEN FORUM
Public Comments: (1) Paul Soto asked that Racial Equity office be used fully. (2) Speaker “5140” expressed criticism of the process. (3) Blair Beekman spoke on community outreach and the need for transparency and indicated a lack of utilitarian needs in this time of COVID.
ADJOURNMENT
Mayor Sam Liccardo adjourned the meeting at 6:25 p.m.
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Mayor Sam Liccardo
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