CITY OF SAUSALITO
CITY COUNCIL MINUTES
TUESDAY, MAY 5, 2026
I. CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL
The meeting was called to order by Mayor Woodside at 3:03 p.m. and the following members were present:
Councilmember Cox
Councilmember Hoffman
Councilmember Sobieski
Vice Mayor Blaustein
Mayor Woodside
II. CLOSED SESSION
C1. PUBLIC EMPLOYEE PERFORMANCE
EVALUATION (Government Code Section
54957) Title: City Manager
C2. PUBLIC EMPLOYEE APPOINTMENT (Government Code Section 54957) Title: City Manager
C3. CONFERENCE WITH REAL PROPERTY NEGOTIATORS (Government Code Section 54956.8) Property: 558 Bridgeway, Sausalito CA, APN 065-172-12 and APN 065-172-15 Agency negotiator: City Manager, City Attorney Negotiating parties: Bridgeway 558 Real Property, LLC
Under negotiation: Price, Terms of Payment
C4. CONFERENCE WITH LEGAL COUNSEL - ANTICIPATED LITIGATION (Government Code Section 54956.9)
Significant exposure to litigation: Two Cases
C5. CONFERENCE WITH LABOR NEGOTIATOR (Government Code Section 54957.6) Agency Designated Representative: Chris Zapata, City Manager, Kathy Nikitas, Human Resources
Manager, Burke Dunphy, Sloan Sakai
Employee organization: SEIU
C6. CONFERENCE WITH REAL PROPERTY NEGOTIATORS
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Property: Submerged tideland portions of Pine Street, Johnson Street, and Donahue Avenue, adjacent Block 200 and Block 267 on Map. No 1 of Salt Marsh and Tideland of Marin County
Agency negotiator: City Manager and City Attorney
Negotiating parties: Pelican Harbor Associates, LP
Under negotiation: Price and Terms of Payment
C7. CONFERENCE WITH LEGAL COUNSEL - EXISTING LITIGATION (Government Code Section
54956.9(d) (1))
Name of case: Yes in My Back Yard v. City of Sausalito, Marin County Superior Court Case No. CIV2300652
The City Council adjourned to Closed Session at 3:05 p.m.
III. RECONVENE TO OPEN SESSION
The City Council reconvened at 5:14 p.m. and stated there were no actions to report from closed session.
Mayor Woodside reported that the applicant for Item 5E had submitted written notice withdrawing the appeal for 426 Pine (Project ID: AOD 2026-00040). The City Attorney advised, and the Council agreed, that Item 5E would remain on the agenda for public comment only, with no Council action to be taken.
Councilmember Cox moved, seconded by Vice Mayor Blaustein, and unanimously carried, to approve the agenda.
SPECIAL - ONE BUSINESS ITEM
A. Approval of City Manager Employment Agreement between the City of Sausalito and Elaine Forbes and Appointment of Elaine Forbes as City Manager, Effective July 1, 2026
Kathy Nikitas made a presentation and responded to questions posed by the City Council.
Diane Oshima, Alice Rogers, Sarah Jones and Sandra Bushmaker provided public comments.
Councilmember Sobieski, seconded by Vice Mayor Blaustein, and unanimously carried, to approve the City Manager Employment Agreement between the City of Sausalito and Elaine Forbes and the appointment of Elaine Forbes as the City Manager, effective July 1, 2026.
Vice Mayor Blaustein pinned the new City Manager with the City of Sausalito pin.
1. SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS, MAYOR'S ANNOUNCEMENTS & CITY MANAGER
REPORTS
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Councilmember Hoffman reported that, in coordination with the post office, Police Chief, and City Manager, a new drive-up post office mailbox will be installed at City Hall. It will be configured as a left-hand drive-up box on the one-way drive, restoring a convenient mail-drop option for Sausalito residents.
1.A PG&E Presentation with Mark van Gorder
PG&E representative Mark Van Gorder outlined wildfire-mitigation and reliability efforts, including 24/7 risk monitoring, Al-assisted cameras, vegetation management, and enhanced safety settings that quickly shut off power when hazards are detected, as well as more targeted Public Safety Power Shutoffs and related customer support programs.
He also reviewed recent Sausalito outage trends, noting improvements in outage frequency and duration, and promoted tools like PG&E's online maps and the Report It app for residents to report issues near utility equipment.
2. COMMUNICATIONS
Rob McCullough, Dan McCullough, Lauren de Remer, Skip Kleger, provided public comments.
3. CONSENT CALENDAR
Transportation Authority of Marin Executive Director Anne Richmond made a presentation on TAM's work delivering projects funded by its transportation sales tax measure and noted that the TAM Board has been engaged in a year-and-a-half-long process to review and update the associated expenditure plan. She thanked Sausalito, and Vice Mayor Blaustein in particular, for participating in that effort and expressed appreciation for the Council's consideration of the resolution supporting the renewed measure.
Councilmember Sobieski moved, seconded by Vice Mayor Blaustein and unanimously carried, to adopt the following items:
3.A Adopted the Draft Meeting Minutes of April 21, 2026.
3.B Adopted the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islanders Heritage Month, Proclamation.
3.C Adopted the Jewish Heritage Month Proclamation.
3.D Adopted a Resolution 18-2026 Amending the Current Job description for the City's Project Manager Position.
3.E Authorized the City Manager to Execute the First Amendment with the County of Marin Securing Construction Funds for the Libertyship Way Trash Capture Device and Authorized Staff to Solicit Construction Bids for the Project. 3 of 7
3.F Adopted a Resolution 19-2026 to Approve the amended Measure AA Expenditure Plan (Attachment B), as adopted by the Transportation Authority of Marin (TAM) Board.
3.G Waived the Second Reading and Adopted Ordinance No. 06-2026, An Ordinance of the City Council of the City of Sausalito Municipal Code Re-Adopting Chapter 2.60 Military Equipment Use Policy.
3.H Reviewed and Filed Treasurer's Report for June 30, 2025.
3.1 Reviewed and Filed Sausalito Police Department Crime and Traffic Report Calendar Year 2026 - First Quarter/Year to Date Report.
4. PUBLIC HEARING ITEMS - NONE
5. BUSINESS ITEMS
5.A Introduction and Waiver of First Reading of Ordinance No. 07-2026, An Ordinance of the City Council of the City of Sausalito Amending Section 12.28.190 "Licensing of Tobacco Retailers and Tobacco Sale Restrictions" of the Sausalito Municipal Code to Prohibit Electronic Device Sales and Enact Minimum Price and Packaging Requirements
Sergio Rudin, City Attorney, gave a presentation and responded to questions posed by the council.
Anita Razavi, Mei Blaustein, Rachei Johnson, Saya Eguchi, Auben Salazar, Jaime Rojas, Sandra Bushmaker, Bob Curry and John Ma provided public comments.
Councilmember Cox moved, seconded by Vice Mayor Blaustein, and unanimously carried, to introduce and waive the first reading of Ordinance No. 07-2026, an ordinance of the City Council of the City of Sausalito amending section 12.28.190 "Licensing of Tobacco Retailers and Tobacco Sale Restrictions" of the Sausalito Municipal Code to prohibit electronic device sales and enact minimum price and packaging requirements. The council also gave direction to staff to return to council with research regarding a potential ban on nicotine pouches and a possible complete ban on commercial tobacco sales in Sausalito.
5.B Consideration of Proposed City Charter and Provide Direction to Staff Regarding Whether to Proceed with the Charter City Process and Placement of a Charter City Ballot Measure on the November 3, 2026 Statewide General Election Ballot Sergio Rudin, City Attorney, made a presentation and responded to questions posed by the City Council.
Sandra Bushmaker and Alice Merrill provided public comments. 4 of 7
Councilmember Cox moved, seconded by Vice Mayor Blaustein, and unanimously carried to direct staff to continue the process of evaluating a potential transition to charter city status and potential ballot placement in 2026; to schedule two required public hearings plus three additional community workshops focused on education and feedback; and to work with the Agenda Setting Committee to develop the schedule so that the final council action on whether to place a charter measure on the ballot is targeted for August 4, 2026, ahead of the August 7, 2026 deadline. The Council further. directed that notice for the first public hearing be posted and published at least 21 days in advance in compliance with Government Code §3445.
Vice Mayor Blaustein added a friendly amendment that all councilmembers may interact directly with the City Attorney regarding proposed charter language, and that the City Attorney shall thoroughly review the final draft charter and incorporate feedback from all councilmembers before the draft is released for public workshops or hearings. The amendment was accepted.
5.C Consider Parks and Recreation Commissions recommendation of repealing and replacing Resolution 4510
Stacy Kray, Chair of the Parks and Recreation Commission, made a presentation and responded to questions posed by the City Council.
Carolyn Revelle, Sandra Bushmaker and Alice Merrill provided public comments.
Councilmember Cox moved, seconded by Councilmember Sobieski, and unanimously carried, to recommend repealing and replacing Resolution 4510. The council further directed staff to incorporate the City Attorney's suggested revisions to the policy as follows: (1) require a maintenance plan for City Council review before final acceptance of artwork; (2) state that the City Council may accept, reject, or request modifications to proposed pieces (including location, installation, and duration) and may refer changes back to staff or commissions; and (3) require staff to provide a public art inventory and review at least every five years so existing works can be affirmatively reaffirmed, relocated, re-homed, or otherwise addressed, and to return the finalized policy on a future consent calendar for adoption.
5.D Review of Fiscal Year 2026-2027 General Fund Budget Information and Provide Direction
Angeline Loeffler, Finance Director, and Chris Zapata, City Manager, made a presentation and responded to questions posed by the City Council.
The Council discussed whether the projected FY 2026-27 General Fund deficit represents a true structural problem, noting that in recent years the City has consistently ended with audited surpluses despite adopting deficit budgets.
Councilmembers raised concerns about flat revenue projections (especially for property tax, sales tax, and parking), rising personnel and pension costs, and reliance on restricted funds such as the Tidelands Fund, while also emphasizing the need to maintain service levels.
There was consensus support for converting existing IT contract funds into a full-time IT Manager/Liaison at no net increase to the IT budget. The Council directed staff to 5 of 7
return with a scenario that includes at least a new Community Development Director and an H/R. Administrative Aide, and to develop options for a Permit Concierge/Permit Technician position that would be substantially or fully cost-recovered through expedited/concierge permitting fees and possibly business-district contributions. The Council requested fully loaded cost breakdowns for all five requested positions and alternative staffing models (full-time, part-time. and consultant), particularly for the Risk Manager and Capital Project Manager roles, with attention to AB 339's labor-relation requirements when contracting out represented work.
The Council further asked for detailed current-year revenue trend data compared to the prior year, corrections and clarifications to certain budget figures (including administrative variances, the $750,000 risk line, and Police staffing assumptions), and a summary of realistic near-term revenue opportunities (e.g., impact fees and possible charter/transfer tax authority). Councilmembers expressed support for continuing the intern program and requested that staff explore use of Al and other technology tools for routine administrative and permitting tasks to relieve staffing pressure. Staff will return on May 19 with refined baseline and enhanced budget scenarios that incorporate this direction.
5.E Adopt a Resolution Denying Appeal of JADU Application at 426 Pine Street (Project ID: AOD 2026-00040)
Mayor Woodside reported that the applicant for Item 5E had submitted written notice withdrawing the appeal for 426 Pine (Project ID: AOD 2026-00040). The City Attorney advised, and the Council agreed, that Item 5E would remain on the agenda for public comment only, with no Council action to be taken.
Public Comments: none
5.F Adopt a Resolution Denying the Appeal of ADU Application at 27 Central Avenue (Project ID: 2025-00260)
Matthew Mandich, Senior Planner, made a presentation and responded to questions posed by the council.
Mayor Woodside moved, seconded by Councilmember Cox, and unanimously carried, to adopt a resolution denying the Appeal of ADU Application at 27 Central Avenue (Project ID: 2025-00260).
6. COUNCILMEMBER REPORTS & OTHER COUNCIL BUSINESS
6A. Councilmember Committee Reports
6B. Future Agenda Items
6C. Minutes from Boards, Commissions, and Committees
6D. Other reports of significance
6E. Public Comment on Items 6A-6D
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6F. Appointments
7. ADJOURNMENT
Mayor Woodside adjourned the meeting at 10:01 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Dore Come
Deputy City Clerk
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