City of Santa Cruz
809 Center Street
Santa Cruz, California 95060
MINUTES OF A CITY COUNCIL SPECIAL MEETING
April 19, 2022
3:30 PM
Call to Order – Mayor Brunner called the meeting to order at 3:30 p.m. via Zoom.
Roll Call
Present: Councilmembers Kalantari-Johnson (via Zoom), Golder (arrived at 4:20 p.m. via Zoom), Cummings (via Zoom), Brown (via Zoom), Meyers (via Zoom); Vice Mayor Watkins (arrived at 3:31 p.m. via Zoom); Mayor Brunner (via Zoom).
Absent: None.
Staff: City Manager M. Huffaker (via Zoom), Assistant City Manager L. Schmidt (via Zoom), Deputy City Attorney C. Bronson (via Zoom), Director of Information Technology K. Morgan (via Zoom), Human Resources Director L. Murphy (via Zoom), Interim Fire Chief R. Oatey (via Zoom), Water Director R. Menard (via Zoom), Director of Parks and Recreation T. Elliot (via Zoom), Communications Manager E. Smith (via Zoom), Principal Management Analyst C. Hemard (via Zoom), Deputy City Clerk Administrator J. Wood, City Clerk Administrator B. Bush (via Zoom).
General Business
1. 2022 Legislative Program Manual and Platform (CM)
Communications Manager E. Smith gave a presentation and responded to Councilmember questions.
City Manager M. Huffaker responded to Councilmember questions.
Chris Giglio, Santa Cruz’s Federal Legislative Consultant, responded to Councilmember questions.
Mayor Brunner opened the public comment period. The following person spoke.
SPEAKING VIA TELECONFERENCE:
Reggie Meisler
April 19, 2022 CITY COUNCIL MINUTES 6050
General Business (continued)
1. 2022 Legislative Program Manual and Platform (CM) (continued) Mayor Brunner closed the public comment period.
MOTION: Councilmember Cummings moved, seconded by Councilmember Meyers, to approve the 2022 Legislative Program Manual and Platform.
ACTION: The motion carried with the following vote.
AYES: Councilmembers Kalantari-Johnson, Cummings, Brown, Meyers; Vice Mayor Watkins; Mayor Brunner.
NOES: None.
ABSENT: Councilmember Golder.
DISQUALIFIED: None.
Council took a break at 4:21 p.m. and returned at 5:00 p.m.
Public Hearings
2. Second Public Hearing to Receive Input from the Community Regarding the Selection of a Six-District Map and Election Sequence (CN) Doug Johnson, Demographer with National Demographics Corporation, gave a presentation and responded to Councilmember questions.
Principal Management Analyst C. Hemard responded to Councilmember questions.
Mayor Brunner opened the public comment period. The following people spoke.
SPEAKING VIA TELECONFERENCE:
Unidentified person
Unidentified person
Unidentified person
Unidentified person
Unidentified person
Candace Brown
Unidentified person
Unidentified person
Mayor Brunner closed the public comment period.
April 19, 2022 CITY COUNCIL MINUTES 6051
Public Hearings (continued)
2. Second Public Hearing to Receive Input from the Community Regarding the Selection of a Six-District Map and Election Sequence (CN) (continued) Deputy City Attorney C. Bronson responded to Councilmember questions.
MOTION: Councilmember Kalantari-Johnson moved, seconded by Councilmember Meyers, to approve Draft Map 602 and its Proposed Election Sequence.
SUBSTITUTE MOTION: Councilmember Cummings moved, seconded by Councilmember Brown, to approve Draft Map 604b with the Alternate Election Sequence.
ACTION: The substitute motion was not accepted with the following vote.
AYES: Councilmembers Cummings, Brown.
NOES: Councilmembers Kalantari-Johnson, Golder, Meyers; Vice Mayor Watkins; Mayor Brunner.
ABSENT: None.
DISQUALIFIED: None.
ACTION: The original motion carried with the following vote.
AYES: Councilmembers Kalantari-Johnson, Golder, Meyers; Vice Mayor Watkins; Mayor Brunner.
NOES: Councilmembers Cummings, Brown.
ABSENT: None.
DISQUALIFIED: None.
Councilmember Cummings stated for the record that he voted to oppose the Draft map 602 because the process was undemocratic, and it dilutes concentrated communities of protected classes, specifically Asians and Latinos, which reflects gerrymandering and perpetuates systemic racism.
April 19, 2022 CITY COUNCIL MINUTES 6052
Public Hearings (continued)
3. Second Public Hearing to Receive Input from the Community Regarding the Selection of a Seven-District Map and Election Sequence (CN) Doug Johnson, Demographer with National Demographics Corporation, gave a presentation and responded to Councilmember questions.
Principal Management Analyst C. Hemard responded to Councilmember questions.
Mayor Brunner opened the public comment period. The following people spoke.
SPEAKING VIA TELECONFERENCE:
Reggie Meisler
Unidentified person
Unidentified person
Unidentified person
Gillian Greensite
Mayor Brunner closed the public comment period.
MOTION: Councilmember Golder moved, seconded by Vice Mayor Watkins, to approve Draft Map 101 with Proposed Election Sequence: 2022: 4, 5, and 6, and 2024: 1, 2,3, 7.
MOTION TO TABLE: Councilmember Cummings moved, seconded by Councilmember Brown, to table the following items until after the certification of the 2022 June primary results or indefinitely should the members of the public elect to move forward with six districts and a directly elected Mayor:
Introduce for publication an ordinance adopting a final seven-district map and establishing a sequence of elections to establish district-based Council member elections commencing in November 2022.
Selection of a seven-district map.
City Attorney T. Condotti responded to Councilmember questions.
April 19, 2022 CITY COUNCIL MINUTES 6053
Public Hearings (continued)
3. Second Public Hearing to Receive Input from the Community Regarding the Selection of a Seven-District Map and Election Sequence (CN) (continued) ACTION: The motion to table was not accepted with the following vote.
AYES: Councilmembers Cummings, Brown.
NOES: Councilmembers Kalantari-Johnson, Golder, Meyers; Vice Mayor Watkins; Mayor Brunner.
ABSENT: None.
DISQUALIFIED: None.
ACTION: The original motion carried with the following vote.
AYES: Councilmembers Kalantari-Johnson, Golder, Meyers; Vice Mayor Watkins; Mayor Brunner.
NOES: Councilmembers Cummings, Brown.
ABSENT: None.
DISQUALIFIED: None.
MOTION: Vice Mayor Watkins moved, seconded by Councilmember Meyers, to introduce for publication Ordinance No. 2022-06 adopting a final sevendistrict map and establishing a sequence of elections to establish district-based Councilmember elections commencing in November 2022.
ACTION: The motion carried with the following vote.
AYES: Councilmembers Kalantari-Johnson, Golder, Meyers; Vice Mayor Watkins; Mayor Brunner.
NOES: Councilmembers Cummings, Brown.
ABSENT: None.
DISQUALIFIED: None.
Councilmember Cummings stated for the record that he voted to oppose the Ordinance because changing the City Charter by ordinance is undemocratic and violates the California State Constitution.
Adjournment - The City Council adjourned at 7:46 p.m.
RESPECTFULLY SUBMITTED: ss/Julia Wood, Deputy City Clerk Administrator, ATTEST: ss/Bonnie Bush, City Clerk Administrator, APPROVED: ss/Sonja Brunner, Mayor.