City of Santa Cruz
809 Center Street
Santa Cruz, California 95060
MINUTES OF A CITY COUNCIL SPECIAL MEETING
April 18, 2023
9:00 AM
Call to Order – Mayor Keeley called the meeting to order at 9:09 a.m. in the Police Community Room at 155 Center Street.
Roll Call
Present: Councilmembers Newsome, Brown, Watkins, Brunner, KalantariJohnson; Vice Mayor Golder; Mayor Keeley.
Absent: None.
Staff: City Manager M. Huffaker, Assistant City Manager L. Schmidt, City Attorney T. Condotti, Director of Information Technology K. Morgan, Water Director R. Menard, Deputy City Manager L. Murphy, Chief of Fire R. Oatey, Chief of Police B. Escalante, Director of Economic Development and Housing B. Lipscomb, Director of Finance E. Cabell, Communications Manager E. Smart, Director of Planning and Community Development L. Butler, Director of Public Works N. Nguyen, Chief People Officer S. De Leon, Director of Parks and Recreation T. Elliot, Deputy Director of Water/Engineering Manager H. Luckenbach, Principal Management Analyst E. Nguyen, City Clerk Administrator B. Bush.
General Business
1. City Council Strategic Planning Workshop
Mayor Keeley opened the public comment period at 9:10 a.m. The following people spoke:
James Ewing Whitman
Garrett Philipp
Unidentified person
Susan Monheit
Mayor Keeley closed the public comment period at 9:19 a.m.
April 18, 2023 CITY COUNCIL SPECIAL MEETING MINUTES 6441 General Business (continued)
1. City Council Strategic Planning Workshop (continued) City Manager M. Huffaker welcomed everyone and provided current updates.
Nancy Hetrick, Managing Director with Baker Tilly, introduced herself and Ashley Garcia, Consulting Manager. Nancy explained the agenda, goals, and overview for the workshop.
Principal Management Analyst E. Nguyen gave a presentation and responded to questions.
Chief of Police B. Escalante responded to Councilmember Brunner’s questions regarding public safety and the Community Request for Service Portal (CRSP).
Councilmember Kalantari-Johnson and Vice Mayor Golder spoke. Chief of Police B. Escalante and Chief of Fire R. Oatey responded to questions.
Councilmember Watkins spoke.
Ashley Garcia spoke regarding Stakeholder input.
Councilmembers Watkins, Brown, and Kalantari-Johnson spoke.
At 10:30 a.m., the group recessed for a break.
Nancy shared the current Vision Statement: Building a future for everyone, together.
Council shared thoughts and discussed alternatives for a new Vision Statement.
Nancy presented the Focus Areas and Goal Statements. Mayor Keeley, Vice Mayor Golder, and Councilmembers Kalantari-Johnson and Watkins spoke.
The group recessed for lunch from 11:40 a.m. to 12:20 p.m.
April 18, 2023 CITY COUNCIL SPECIAL MEETING MINUTES 6442 General Business (continued)
1. City Council Strategic Planning Workshop (continued) Mayor Keeley opened the public comment period at 12:24 p.m. The following people spoke:
Nicholas Whitehead
Susan Monheit
Frank Barron
Laura
Mayor Keeley closed the public comment period at 12:35 p.m.
Fiscal Sustainability and Transparency:
Vice Mayor Golder and Councilmembers Brown Brunner, Watkins, and Kalantari-Johnson spoke.
Strong Business Communities and a Vibrant Downtown
Vice Mayor Golder, Councilmembers Watkins, Brunner, and Kalantari-Johnson, and City Manager M. Huffaker spoke.
Housing
Mayor Keeley, Councilmembers Kalantari-Johnson and Brown, Director of Economic Development and Housing B. Lipscomb, and City Manager M.
Huffaker spoke.
Homelessness Response
Mayor Keeley, Vice Mayor Golder, Councilmembers Kalantari-Johnson, Brunner, Brown, and Watkins, Director of Economic Development and Housing B. Lipscomb, Director of Planning and Community Development L. Butler, and City Manager M. Huffaker spoke.
The group recessed for a break from 1:45 p.m. to 1:55 p.m.
Public Safety
Mayor Keeley, Vice Mayor Golder, Councilmembers Kalantari-Johnson, Brunner, Watkins, and Brown, Chief of Police B. Escalante, Chief of Fire R.
Oatey, and Deputy City Manager L. Murphy spoke.
April 18, 2023 CITY COUNCIL SPECIAL MEETING MINUTES 6443 General Business (continued)
1. City Council Strategic Planning Workshop (continued) Infrastructure
Mayor Keeley, Vice Mayor Golder, Councilmembers Watkins and Brunner, City Manager M. Huffaker, and Director of Public Works N. Nguyen spoke.
Thriving Organization
Mayor Keeley, Vice Mayor Golder, Councilmembers Watkins, Brown, and Brunner, Director of Water R. Menard, Chief People Officer S. De Leon, and City Manager M. Huffaker spoke.
Nancy Hetrick shared next steps: Baker Tilly will prepare a draft Strategic Plan based on the input received during the workshop. Staff will take the draft plan to Council for adoption create an implementation action plan.
Council thanked everyone for their participation.
Adjournment - The workshop adjourned at 2:52 p.m.
RESPECTFULLY SUBMITTED: ss/ Bonnie Bush, City Clerk Administrator, ATTEST: ss/Bonnie Bush, City Clerk Administrator, APPROVED: ss/Fred Keeley, Mayor.