CITY OF
SIERRA
MADRE
CITY COUNCIL
REGULAR MEETING
AGENDA
Mayor Kristine Lowe | Mayor Pro Tem Gene Goss
Council Member Edward Garcia | Council Member Kelly Kriebs | Council Member Robert Parkhurst Wednesday, August 19, 2026, 5:30 PM
City Council Chambers, 232 W. Sierra Madre Blvd.
Council Member Parkhurst will participate remotely from Inn at the Vines, 100 Soscol Avenue
Napa, California 94559
The public may participate in this meeting via Zoom by using this link:
Zoom Link to Participate in City Council meeting
AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT
Pursuant to the Americans with Disabilities Act, persons with a disability who require a disability related modification or accommodation in order to participate in a meeting, including auxiliary aids or services, may request such modification or accommodation from the City Clerk at (626) 355-7135. Notification 48 hours prior to the meeting will enable the City to make reasonable arrangements to assure accessibility to the meeting.
PUBLIC COMMENT & ACCESS
The Brown Act provides the public with an opportunity to make public comments at any public meeting. As an alternative, public comment may be submitted by e-mail to [email protected] by 3:00PM on the day of the meeting. Emails will be acknowledged at the City Council meeting, filed into public record, and scanned onto the City website for public review.
A copy of the posted agenda and a live video stream of the meeting can be found on the City’s website at sierramadreca.gov , on Foothills Media website at foothillsmedia.org/sierramadre, and broadcast on Government Access Channel 3 (Spectrum).
If you require special assistance to participate in this meeting, please contact the City Clerk’s Office at (626) 355- 7135 at least 48 hours prior to the meeting.
CODE OF CONDUCT
The purpose of a City Council meeting is to conduct City business. Members of the public that behave in a manner that interrupts or obstructs the City Council’s ability to conduct City business may be asked to leave the meeting.
Any and all demonstrations which disrupt, interrupt, or obstruct the City Council’s ability to conduct City business are prohibited. No signs, posters, or other large objects shall be brought into the Council Chambers or other meeting place if doing so would disrupt, disturb, or otherwise impede the orderly course of the meeting.
1. CALL TO ORDER
2. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE AND INSPIRATION
3. ROLL CALL OF CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS
Kristine Lowe, Mayor
Gene Goss, Mayor Pro Tem
Edward Garcia, Council Member
Kelly Kriebs, Council Member
Robert Parkhurst, Council Member
4. REPORT FROM CITY ATTORNEY REGARDING CLOSED SESSION
5. SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION FROM CITY CLERK REGARDING AGENDA ITEMS
6. PUBLIC COMMENT FOR ITEMS ON THE AGENDA
Any person wishing to speak before the City Council is asked to complete a Speaker Card and provide it to the City Clerk prior to the start of the meeting. Speakers are generally limited to three (3) minutes per person and time may not be delegated; any changes to the allotted time will be announced prior to the Public Comment period.
Under the Brown Act, the City Council is prohibited from discussing or taking action on any item not listed on the posted agenda.
Addressing the City Council from the audience is not permitted; all comments addressing the Council must be made from the podium. Only public comment made from the podium will be recognized by the City Council and entered into public record.
7. DISCUSSION ITEMS
A. Resolution No. 26-82 Cancelling the November 3, 2026 General Municipal Election and Appointing Nominees to the City Council
8. ITEMS FOR FUTURE AGENDAS
9. ADJOURNMENT
The City Council will immediately adjourn to a Special Meeting Closed Session August 19, 2026 Date Posted: August 17, 2026
CITY OF
SIERRA
MADRE
STAFF REPORT
CITY CLERK'S OFFICE
DATE: August 19, 2026
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council
FROM: Laura Aguilar, City Clerk
By: Laura Aguilar, City Clerk
SUBJECT:
Resolution No. 26-82 Cancelling the November 3, 2026 General Municipal Election and Appointing Nominees to the City Council
RECOMMENDATION
It is recommended that the City Council adopt Resolution No. 26-82 (Attachment 1) appointing Thomas S. Denison, Kris Lowe, and Geoff Woods to the Office of the City Council for a full term of four-years, and cancelling the November 3, 2026 General Municipal Election contest for Offices of the City Council, pursuant to California Elections Code Section 10229.
SUMMARY
On June 9, 2026, the City Council adopted Resolution No. 26-53, calling and giving notice of the holding of a General Municipal Election to be held in Sierra Madre on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, for the purpose of electing three (3) Members of the City Council for a full term of 4 years. The nomination period for filing election papers was July 13, 2026 through August 7, 2026. By the August 7, 2026 deadline, only three nomination packets were submitted to the City Clerk, one of which was for incumbent Kris Lowe. The remaining two nomination packets received were for Thomas S. Denison and Geoff Woods. On August 14, 2026, the City Clerk posted a notice in the Mountain Views News giving notice of the Special Notice (Attachment 2).
DISCUSSION & ANALYSIS
Elections Code Section 10229 provides that if by the statutory nomination filing deadline, no one or only one person has been nominated for any office, and there is no citywide contested race, then the City Clerk shall certify those facts to the City Council and publish a notice of the same. More than five days after publication, the City Council may take one of three courses of action for each of the offices:
1. Appoint to the office the person who has been nominated.
2. Appoint to the office an eligible voter if no one has been nominated.
3. Hold the election for the office.
If no one is appointed by the 75th day before the election (August 20, 2026), then the Elections Code requires that the election for office be held. If appointed, Thomas S. Denison, Kris Lowe, and Geoff Woods would take office and serve exactly as if elected at the November 3, 2026, Election.
STRATEGIC PLAN RELATIONSHIP
Strategic Objective: Promote an unparalleled quality of life with an engaged and collaborative culture.
Goal 2. Improve Communication and Collaboration
Goal 3. Provide Education on Critical Civic Issues
Strategic Objective: Build an organization that is innovative, financially stable, and consistently delivers a high level of service.
Goal 2. Build on Fiscal Stability
ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS
Not a CEQA Project under: 14 CCR 15378(b)(5)- organizational or administrative activities
FISCAL IMPACT
Based on the estimates using the County’s Election Estimating Calculator, cancelling the election and proceeding to appointments will result in a cost savings of approximately $65,000. This expenditure was budgeted in the approved FY 2026-2027 budget under Election Services account number 10000.12000.53402.
Approved by:
___________________________
Michael Bruckner
City Manager
Attachments
RESOLUTION 26-82 cancelling election and appointing nominees.pdf PROOF OF PUBLICATION - Mountain Views News Notice for Special Meeting to Appoint Nominees and Cancel Election.pdf RESOLUTION NO. 26-82
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SIERRA
MADRE, CALIFORNIA, APPOINTING THOMAS S. DENISON, KRIS
LOWE, AND GEOFF WOODS TO THE OFFICE OF CITY COUNCIL FOR
A FULL TERM OF FOUR YEARS, AND CANCELLING THE NOVEMBER
3, 2026 GENERAL MUNICPAL ELECTION CONTEST FOR OFFICES OF CITY COUNCIL, PURSUANT TO ELECTIONS CODE SECTION 10229
RECITALS
WHEREAS, on June 9, 2026, the City Council adopted Resolution No. 26-53, calling and giving notice of the holding of a general municipal election for the purpose of electing three members of the City Council for the full term of four years; and
WHEREAS, as of the close of the nomination period for the office of City Council on Friday, August 7, 2026, only three persons had been nominated and filed nomination papers to run for the office of City Council; and WHEREAS, pursuant to Section 10229 of the California Elections Code, the City Council may take one of the following courses of action:
1. Appoint to the office the person who has been nominated, or
2. Hold the election for the office.
WHEREAS, to California Elections Code Section 10229, if by the 75th day before the scheduled General Municipal Election (November 3, 2026), no person has been appointed to an office pursuant to (1) above, then the lection for that office must be held ; and
WHEREAS, pursuant to Section 10229 of the California Elections Code, a notice was published noticing a Special Meeting for appointing nominees and cancelling the General Municipal Election, in the August 15, 2026 edition of in the Mountain Views News, providing notice of these facts and the courses of action available to the City Council; and
WHEREAS, if the City Council makes an appointment pursuant to Section 10229 of the California Elections Code, the City Clerk/ Elections Official shall not accept for filing any statement of write-in candidacy for that office which is submitted after the appointment is made; and
NOW, THEREFORE, THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SIERRA
MADRE, CALIFORNIA, DOES RESOLVE, DECLARE, DETERMINE AND ORDER AS FOLLOWS:
SECTION 1. Recitals. The recitals listed are true and correct.
SECTION 2. Appointment. Pursuant to Section 10229(a)(1) of the California Elections Code, the following action is taken:
The following persons are appointed to the office to which each was nominated, pursuant to Section 10229(a)(1) of the California Elections Code:
NAME OFFICE TERM
THOMAS S. DENISON COUNCIL MEMBER FULL FOUR-YEAR TERM
KRIS LOWE COUNCIL MEMBER FULL FOUR-YEAR TERM
GEOFF J. WOODS COUNCIL MEMBER FULL FOUR-YEAR TERM
SECTION 3. Cancelation of Election. Pursuant to Elections Code Section 10229, the election scheduled to be held on November 3, 2026, to elect three (3) candidates for Councilmember is hereby cancelled because the City Council has made the above appointments.
SECTION 4. Assuming Office. The persons appointed shall qualify and take office and serve exactly as if elected at the General Municipal Election for the office.
SECTION 5. Candidate Costs. All previous resolutions establishing City Council policy on payment for candidate’s statements are repealed.
SECTION 6. Reimbursement. The City of Sierra Madre shall reimburse the County of Los Angeles Registrar of Voters for the cost of services performed relative to the conduct of the General Municipal Election, after completion of all work and upon presentation to the City of a properly detailed bill.
SECTION 7. Filing. The City Clerk of the City of Sierra Madre is hereby directed to file a certified copy of this resolution with the Los Angeles County Registrar of Voters.
SECTION 8. Severability. If any sections, subsections, subdivisions, paragraph, sentence, clause or phrase of this Resolution or any part hereof or exhibit hereto is for any reason held to be invalid, such invalidity shall not affect the validity of the remaining portions of this Resolution or any part thereof or exhibit thereto. The City Council hereby declares that it would have passed each section, subsection, subdivision, paragraph, sentence, clause or phrase hereof, irrespective of the fact that anyone or more sections, subsections, subdivisions, paragraph, sentences, clauses or phrases be declared invalid.
SECTION 9. Certification. Pursuant to Government Code Section 36932, the City Clerk shall certify the passage, approval, and adoption of this Resolution by the City Council.
SECTION 10. Effective Date. This Resolution shall take effect immediately upon adoption.
PASSED, APPROVED, AND ADOPTED this 19th day of August 2026.
AYES:
NOES:
ABSENT:
ABSTAINED:
___________________________
Kristine Lowe, Mayor
City of Sierra Madre
ATTEST:
______________________________
Laura Aguilar, City Clerk
City of Sierra Madre
Approved as to form:
______________________________
Aleks Giragosian, City Attorney
City of Sierra Madre
Mountain Views News 80 W. Sierra Madre Bl. #327 Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 (626) 355-2737 Voice (626) 609-3285 Fax
PROOF OF PUBLICATION
(§2015.5 CCP)
STATE OF CALIFORNIA
County of Los Angeles
I am a citizen of the United States over the
age of eighteen years, and not a party to or
interested in the above entitled matter. I am
the principle clerk of the publisher of the
MOUNTAIN VIEWS NEWS, a newspaper
of general circulation in the City of SIERRA
MADRE, COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES.
The MOUNTAIN VIEWS NEWS has been
adjudged a newspaper of general circulation
in said city by the Superior Court of Los Angeles,
State of California under date June 4, 2001,
Case No. GS 005940; that notice of which the
annexed is a printed copy, has been published
by distribution in each regular and entire issue
of said newspaper and not in any supplement
thereof on the following dates to wit:
Dates Published:
Saturday, August 15, 2026
I certify (or declare) under the penalty of perjury
that the foregoing is true and correct.
Dated this 17th day of August, 2026
Sierra Madre, California
_________________________________________
H. Susan Henderson, Mountain Views News
NOTICE OF SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL MEETING TO
APPOINT THOMAS S. DENISON, KRIS LOWE, AND
GEOFF WOODS TO THE OFFICE OF CITY COUNCIL
AND CANCELLING THE NOVEMBER 3, 2026
GENERAL MUNICPAL ELECTION, PURSUANT
TO ELECTIONS CODE SECTION 10229
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the City Council will hold a Special Meeting to discuss appointing Thomas S. Denison, Kris Lowe, and Geoff Woods to the Office of City Council for a full term of four years, and cancelling the November 3, 2026 General Municipal Election, pursuant to California Elections Code Section 10229.
Pursuant to Section 102229 of the California Elections
Code, the City Council may take one of the following
courses of action:
1. Appoint to the office the person
who has been nominated, or
2. Hold the election for the office.
Meeting Date and Time
Wednesday, August 19, 2026 5:30 p.m.
Location: City Hall Council Chambers
232 W. Sierra Madre Blvd.
Sierra Madre, CA 91024
For more information, please contact City Clerk Laura
Aguilar at (626) 355-7135 or via e-mail at
[email protected]
Laura Aguilar
City Clerk, Elections Official
Posted August 14, 2026