From: Elaine Monney
To: City Council Public Comments
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Proposal to ban gas-powered leaf blowers Date: Wednesday, September 9, 2026 3:21:18 PM
To my council members,
I am submitting a request to consider a city- wide ban on these leaf blowers. I've asked my Oakmont HOA to do this and was told only local and state govt can make this law.
These machines are very loud and pollute unnecessarily and impact our quality of life, as residents.
I appreciate your consideration on this matter.
Respectfully,
Elaine Monney
220 Golf Green Lane
Santa Rosa, CA 95409
From: Mitchell Anderson
To: CityCouncilListPublic
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Privacy Concern
Date: Saturday, September 12, 2026 8:07:52 PM
Hello Santa Rosa City Council,
I am emailing you to express my disdain and concern regarding the use of AI cameras such as flock safety or axon. I strongly believe its usage violates my 4th amendment rights as a US citizen. I did not commit any crimes, I have done nothing wrong, yet I am monitored as if I did. If a person was to put up cameras all over town to track you, THEY WOULD BE
CHARGED WITH STALKING
. To say that it is different because a corporation or
government did it, is nothing short of tyranny and overreach. The constitution is meant to be the will of the people, but it now seems more like "the suggestion of the people". If you value your constitutional
rights and privacy, TEAR DOWN THESE CAMERAS!
Sincerely,
Mitchell Anderson (a concerned citizen)
From: Wendy Millstine
To: CityCouncilListPublic; [email protected]
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Stop surveillance on us now!
Date: Friday, September 11, 2026 8:34:11 AM
Dear Members of the Santa Rosa City Council and the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors,
I am a Sonoma County resident in a senior mobile home park. I am writing to demand an immediate halt to the expansion—and a full phase-out—of Flock license plate surveillance cameras in our communities.
These systems create a form of mass, continuous tracking that treats every resident as a potential suspect. The widespread deployment of automated surveillance infrastructure erodes civil liberties, chills freedom of movement, and normalizes a police-state mindset where people feel watched at all times simply for living their daily lives.
This is not targeted public safety—it is indiscriminate surveillance.
I urge you to take the following actions without delay:
●
Enact a moratorium on any new Flock or ALPR camera installations ● Terminate existing contracts and remove currently deployed cameras ● Prohibit data-sharing agreements that expand surveillance beyond local control
●
Establish strong, enforceable protections for resident privacy and civil rights Public safety must never come at the cost of fundamental freedoms. Sonoma County should be a place where people feel safe—not monitored.
I expect you to act decisively to protect the rights and dignity of your constituents.
Sincerely,
Wendy Millstine
Resident of Santa Rosa, CA
From: Stephan Dalporto
To: CityCouncilListPublic
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Ab 1383
Date: Thursday, September 10, 2026 1:29:29 PM
Dear Mayor and Members of the Santa Rosa City Council,
I am writing on behalf of Santa Rosa Firefighters, Local 1401, as a Director of the Local, to express our disappointment with the City’s decision to oppose AB 1383.
Santa Rosa firefighters have always stood ready to protect this city and its residents. We respond when people are having some of the worst moments of their lives, put ourselves in harm’s way, and continue to serve this community with professionalism and dedication.
AB 1383 is about protecting the firefighters who have always protected this city. For the City Council to oppose this legislation is extremely disappointing and goes against the commitments that have repeatedly been made regarding public safety and support for the men and women who provide it.
We are asking the Council to reverse course and take a position in support of AB 1383. Please contact our state legislators and clearly communicate that the City of Santa Rosa and the City Council endorse and support this legislation.
I would also respectfully request that I be CC’d on that correspondence. As a Director of Local 1401, I need to be able to demonstrate to the California Professional Firefighters (CPF) and the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) that the Santa Rosa City Council is supportive of its firefighters and stands behind legislation designed to protect them.
Our members have always been there for this community. We are asking our City Council to be there for us now.
I hope you will reconsider the City’s position and demonstrate through your actions that public safety—and the firefighters who provide it—remain a priority for the City of Santa Rosa.
Respectfully,
Stephan Dalporto
Director
Santa Rosa Firefighters, Local 1401
415-328-2877
From: Stephan Dalporto
To: CityCouncilListPublic
Subject: [EXTERNAL] AB1383
Date: Thursday, September 10, 2026 4:27:13 PM
Attachments: 1383.eml.msg
1383.eml.msg
1383.eml.msg
Mayor and council, attached is some literature regarding AB 1383. Thank you for your consideration.
Stephan Dalporto
Director, Santa Rosa Firefighters L-1401
AB 1383 (McKinnor)
Retirement Security for Firefighters
SPONSOR CONTACT : Brittany Trudeau • [email protected] • 916-921-9111
Protecting Firefighters Through Retirement Reform • Updated: 1/26/2026 • Page 1
SUMMARY
AB 1383 would make targeted adjustments to State law
regarding the retirement system.
This bill will: reduce the retirement age for public safety personnel from 57 to 55; create a new safety plan option which would provide a 3% at 55 formula; allow public
employees to bargain prospective increases in retirement benefits within the allowable tiers; and increase the com- pensation cap under Government Code Section 7522.10 to
align with the updated social security wage base as of Jan- uary 1, 2027.
STATUS
✓ Introduced on February 21, 2025
✓ Amended on March 10, 2025
✓ Amended on April 11, 2025
✓ Approved unanimously by the Assembly Public Em-
ployment and Retirement Committee (7-0-0)
✓ Approved by the Assembly Appropriations Commit-
tee
BACKGROUND
In 2012, the state passed Public Employee Pension Re-
form Act (PEPRA) which made significant changes to the
retirement benefits for public employees. The policy made many changes included lowering retirement formulas, in- creasing the normal retirement age, limiting items subject to bargaining and making other changes.
Recent estimates from CalPERS indicate that PEPRA has
generated savings to local governments of over $4 billion in the first 10 years of implementation and is forecasted to save more than $24 billion over the next 10 years.
Several provisions of PEPRA directly affected public
safety personnel, requiring them to work longer for re- duced benefits. This included raising the retirement age for firefighters and law enforcement officers to 57, and lowering the maximum formula to 2.7%. Additionally,
when these provisions were passed and jurisdictions
moved to new tiers, they were then locked into that tier with no ability to move to a tier with stronger benefits even if both the employer and employee representatives wish to do so.
Another provision of PEPRA was to establish a new com-
pensation cap that is different from the compensation cap for classic employees. When a public employee hits the
cap, both the employer and employee stop making contri- butions towards the employee’s retirement. With employ- ees hitting the cap, they are less likely to promote to lead- ership positions or take work assignments that require
unique training and dangers.
WHY AB 1383 IS NEEDED
12 years into the implementation of PEPRA it is appropri- ate to revisit some targeted provisions to ensure that the retirement system aligns with the demands of the occupa- tions across government employment, including firefight- ers.
Firefighting is one of the most difficult and dangerous jobs imaginable. Those who answer the call to serve their com- munities put their mental and physical health on the line every time they respond to an incident, risking a known range of injuries and ill nesses to serve the public. Fire- fighters carry a 14% higher risk of dying of cancer than the general population. This risk is so great that the Inter- national Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has clas- sified occupational exposure as a firefighter as a Gr oup 1 known human carcinogen.
These cancer risks come from innumerable sources, in-
cluding circadian rhythm disruption, smoke inhalation,
exposure to toxic chemicals and substances, and many
more. Every day on the job represents a new set of expo- sures to these known risks.
Asking firefighters to work for a significantly longer pe- riod in a deadly profession for a reduced pension does not make economic sense. While changes to the pension sys-
tems that disadvantage workers are nearly always framed in financial terms such as increasing the health of the fund and reducing taxpayer costs, these costs are not fully
AB 2408 Restricting PFAS in Firefighter PPE • Updated: 1/26/2026 • Page 2 eliminated but transferred.
Put most simply – the longer a firefighter is forced to work, the more likely it is they will develop cancer or an- other job -caused illness, thereby incurring significant workers’ compensation and industrial disability retirement costs. Due to minimum staff ing requirements, every day that a firefighter is off the job due to a job -caused injury or illness, another member must be assigned to take their place, adding the cost of mandatory overtime to what is necessary for treatment. With these health risks in m ind, the adjustments proposed by AB 1383 will help protect
firefighters by providing pathways for a dignified retire- ment by age 55.
The promise of a safe and secure retirement has been one of the guiding lights of public service for generations.
While their colleagues may earn higher salaries in the pri- vate sector, public servants rely on the guarantee of an earned and liveable retirement.
Outside of health-related issues, a recent report by the Na- tional Institute on Retirement Security found that pension benefits drive significant economic activity in California, both through the direct support of jobs and their wages as well as the spending power granted to retirees by their se- cure retirement. This activity included $28.4 billion in wages and salaries, $86.9 billion in economic output, and $16.6 billion in federal, state, and local tax revenues. This results in the “pension benefit multiplier” that means each dollar paid out in pension benefits results in $1.27 in eco- nomic output, and the “taxpayer investment factor” that means each dollar contributed by taxpayers results in
$4.30 in economic output.
Pensions are a good investment, both for the health and security of retirees as well as for the economy of the state.
Healthy pension funds are critical components in keeping the public sector competitive in its ability to attract top tal- ent and fueling our state’s economic engine.
AB 1383 (McKinnor) – Talking Points
Cancer Risk
• Firefighting is one of the most difficult and dangerous jobs imaginable. Firefighters carry a 14% higher risk of dying of cancer than the general public – the risk is so great that the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has classified occupational exposure as a firefighter as a Group 1 human carcinogen. • The longer a firefighter is works, the more likely it is they will develop cancer or another job-caused illness, thereby incurring significant workers’ compensation and industrial disability retirement costs.
• A greater frequency of injury or disability among firefighters increases the likelihood that fire departments will be forced to backfill staffing with overtime shifts, which come at a higher cost than if a firefighter that might otherwise not be injured worked within their normal workweek.
• AB 1383 will reduce the likelihood of firefighter illness, injury, and disability by resetting the normal retirement age for public safety employees hired on or after January 1, 2013 to 55.
Cost to Agencies
• The Legislature and then-Gov. Jerry Brown enacted significant benefit reductions through the Public Employee Pension Reform Act (PEPRA) that became effective for firefighters and other public employees that were hired on Jan. 1, 2013, or later. • Those PEPRA benefit cuts for new hires were recently estimated by CalPERS to have saved state and local governments more than $5.8 billion from the 2012-2013 fiscal year through the 2022-2023 fiscal year.
• The forecasted savings from the 2023-2024 fiscal year through the 2032-2033 fiscal year is more than $26.5 billion.
• As a result, the foundation of PEPRA and the huge savings forecasted by CalPERS are still maintained through AB 1383.
• AB 1383 creates a new safety formula in the law of 3% @ 55. This tier would be subject to bargaining and only applied prospectively leaving discretion to local governments and employee groups to consider whether or not this benefit level makes sense for their safety employees at the bargaining table.
• Even if the benefit limits were to be reached for every employee through collective bargaining, and the compensation cap and age were reduced, more than 2/3% of the forecasted savings from the PEPRA cuts in the first 20 years would be maintained.
Recruitment and Retention
• Given the dangerous and demanding nature of firefighting as a profession, it is only right that agencies are able to offer strong, secure, and competitive retirement plans in order to attract and retain the best talent.
• Following the implementation of PEPRA, certain agencies were forced to shift into a lower tier with no option to move to a higher formula even if labor and management both wished to do so. This has had significant negative impacts on the recruitment and retention efforts for these agencies, in some cases even leading to station brownouts when adequate personnel are not available for full staffing. • The provisions of AB 1383 regarding stronger formulas and the ability to move between tiers are subject to bargaining, ensuring that these enhancements will only be carried out upon the agreement of both labor and management.
May 5, 2026
The Honorable Lola Smallwood-Cuevas
Chair, Senate Labor, Public Employment and Retirement Committee 1021 O Street, Suite 6740
Sacramento, CA 95814
RE: AB 1383 (McKinnor) – Public Employees’ Retirement Benefits. (SUPPORT/SPONSOR – As Amended January 27, 2026)
Dear Senator Smallwood-Cuevas:
On behalf of the California Professional Firefighters and our undersigned local affiliates, we are pleased to support AB 1383, as amended on January 27, 2026, which will make targeted adjustments to the retirement system and help address recruitment, retention and promotion issues for public employees. This measure has been referred to the Senate Labor, Public Employment and Retirement Committee for consideration, and we urge the Committee’s “AYE” vote on this measure when it comes before you.
The promise of a safe and secure retirement has been one of the guiding lights of public service for generations.
While their colleagues may earn higher salaries in the private sec tor, public servants rely on the guarantee of an earned and livable retirement that they contribute to throughout their career.
In 2012, the state passed the Public Employee Pension Reform Act (PEPRA) which made significant changes and reductions to the retirement benefits available to public employees. The policy made many changes including lowering retirement formulas, increasing the normal retirement age, limiting items subject to bargaining. According to a 2024 report from CalPERS, their analysis indicates that PEPRA has generated savings to employers of over $4 billion in the first 10 years of implementation and is forecasted to save more than $24 billion over the next 10 years1.
AB 1383 specifically makes several adjustments to the retirement law to provide improvements for public employees and ensure collective bargaining rights are strengthened within the context of retirement benefits. The five adjustments are as follows:
1. Adjust the pensionable compensation cap to align with the IRS contribution and benefit base. For employees hired on or after January 1, 2013, California currently has an arbitrary compensation cap which, when hit, employees and employers stop paying pension contributions. Adjusting the cap will help address recruitment and retention challenges.
2. Reducing the retirement age for public safety personnel. Currently, the normal retirement age for public safety personnel hired after January 1, 2013, is 57 years old. For many public safety professionals this is too old and subjects these individuals to increased risk as they age. For example, firefighters have a 14% higher risk of dying of cancer than the general population. This risk is so great that the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has classified occupational exposure as a firefighter as a Group 1 known human carcinogen. Reducing the normal retirement age will allow firefighters to retire at 55, reducing exposures and risks so they can have a dignified retirement.
3. This measure would create a new safety plan option three which would provide a 3% @ 55 formula that could be bargained and the benefit enhancement would be prospective only.
4. Increasing bargaining rights. Current law limits the ability for public employees and employers to bargain over certain retirement elements. This measure would allow public employees to bargain prospective increases in retirement benefits within the allowable tiers permitted under the law.
Now 12 years into the implementation of retirement reform, it is appropriate to revisit some targeted provisions to ensure that the retirement system aligns with the demands of the occupations across government employment, including firefighters.
Firefighting is one of the most difficult and dangerous jobs imaginable. Those who answer the call to serve their communities put their mental and physical health on the line every time they respond to an incident, risking a known range of injuries and ill nesses to serve the public. Firefighters carry a 14% higher risk of dying of cancer than the
1 CalPERS. State of the System PPT, 2024 Stakeholder Forum, January 12, 2024.
general population. This risk is so great that the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has classified occupational exposure as a firefighter as a Group 1 known human carcinogen.
These cancer risks come from innumerable sources, including circadian rhythm disruption, smoke inhalation, exposure to toxic chemicals and substances, and many more. Every day on the job represents a new set of exposures to these known risks.
Asking firefighters to work for a significantly longer period in a deadly profession for a reduced pension does not make economic sense. While changes to the pension systems that disadvantage workers are nearly always framed in financial terms such as increasing the health of the fund and reducing taxpayer costs, these costs are not fully eliminated but transferred.
Put most simply – the longer a firefighter is forced to work, the more likely it is they will develop cancer or another job-caused illness, thereby incurring significant workers’ compensation and industrial disability retirement costs.
Due to minimum staffing requirements, every day that a firefighter is off the job due to a job-caused injury or illness, another member must be assigned to take their place, adding the cost of mandatory overtime to what is necessary for treatment. With these health risks in m ind, the adjustments proposed by AB 1383 will help protect firefighters by providing pathways for a dignified retirement by age 55.
Outside of health-related issues, a recent report by the National Institute on Retirement Security found that pension benefits drive significant economic activity in California, both through the direct support of jobs and their wages as well as the spending power granted to retirees by thei r secure retirement. This activity included $28.4 billion in wages and salaries, $86.9 billion in economic output, and $16.6 billion in federal, state, and local tax revenues. This results in the “pension benefit multipli er” that means each dollar paid out in pension benefits results in $1.27 in economic output, and the “taxpayer investment factor” that means each dollar contributed by taxpayers results in $4.30 in economic output.
Pensions are a good investment, both for the health and security of retirees as well as for the economy of the state.
Healthy pension funds are critical components in keeping the public sector competitive in its ability to attract top talent and fueling our state’s economic engine.
For these reasons, we are proud to support AB 1383 and urge your support for this important measure.
Sincerely,
DARRELL ROBERTS
President
California Professional Firefighters
Cc: Members, Senate Labor, Public Employment and Retirement Committee
Alameda City International Association of
Firefighters Local 689
Alameda County Firefighters Local 55
Anaheim Firefighters Association Local 2899
Apple Valley Professional Firefighters Association
Local 4742
Atascadero City Fire Fighters Local 3600
Burbank Fire Fighters Local 778
CAL FIRE Firefighters Local 2881
Carlsbad Firefighters Association Local 3730
Cathedral City Firefighters Association Local 3654
Chico Firefighters Local 2734
Chula Vista Firefighters Local 2180
Compton Fire Fighters Local 2216
Contra Costa County Professional Firefighters Local
1230
Corona Firefighters Association Local 3757
Coronado Fire Fighters Association Local 1475
Costa Mesa Firefighters Local 1465
Davis Professional Firefighters Association Local
3494
El Cajon Firefighters Local 4603
El Dorado Hills Professional Firefighters Local 3604
El Segundo Firefighters Association Local 3682
Encinitas Firefighters Association Local 3787
Escondido Firefighters Local 3842
Fallbrook Firefighters Association Local 1622
Fremont Fire Fighters Local 1689
Fullerton Firefighters Association Local 3421
Gilroy Fire Fighters Local 2805
Glendale Professional Firefighters Local 776
Hayward Fire Fighters Local 1909
Heartland Firefighters of La Mesa Local 4759
Heartland Firefighters of Lemon Grove Local 2728
Hemet City Firefighters Association Local 2342
Kern County Fire Fighters Local 1301
Lakeside Firefighters Association Local 4488
Livermore-Pleasanton Firefighters Local 1974
Long Beach Firefighters Local 372
Los Angeles County Firefighters Local 1014
Marin Professional Firefighters Local 1775
Modesto City Firefighters Local 1289
Monrovia Firefighters Local 2415
Monterey Firefighters Association Local 3707
Murrieta Fire Fighters Local 3540
NASA JPL Professional Firefighters Local I-94
National City Firefighters Association Local 2744
Nevada County Professional Firefighters Local 3800
Newport Beach Firefighters Association Local 3734
Oakland Firefighters Local 55
Oceanside Firefighters Association Local 3736
Ontario Professional Firefighters Local 1430
Orange City Firefighters Local 2384
Orange County Professional Firefighters Local 3631
Oxnard Firefighters Local 1684
Palm Springs Firefighters Association Local 3601
Pasadena Firefighters Local 809
Poway Firefighters Association Local 3922
Professional Firefighters of Sonoma County Local
1401
Rancho Cucamonga Firefighters Association Local
2274
Redlands Professional Firefighters Association
Local 1354
Riverside City Firefighters Association Local 1067
Sacramento Area Firefighters Local 522
Salinas Fire Fighters Local 1270
San Diego City Fire Fighters Local 145
San Jose Fire Fighters Local 230
San Marcos Firefighters Association Local 4184
San Mateo County Firefighters Local 2400
Santa Barbara City Firefighters Association Local
525
Santa Barbara County Firefighters Local 2046
Santa Clara City Firefighters Local 1171
Santa Clara County Firefighters Local 1165
Santa Maria City Firefighters Local 2020
Sierra Madre Professional Firefighters Local 5216
Solana Beach Firefighters Local 3779
Stockton Firefighters Local 456
Torrance Fire Fighters Association Local 1138
Vandenberg Professional Firefighters Local F-116
Ventura County Professional Firefighters
Association Local 1364
Vista Firefighters Association Local 4107