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Special Closed Session – 5:30 PM
Regular Meeting – 6:30 PM
5:30 PM SPECIAL CLOSED SESSION
CALL TO ORDER
Mayor Brown called the Regular meeting to order at 5:30 p.m. in the City Hall Council Chamber, 1644 Oak Street, Solvang, California.
ROLL CALL
Present: Mayor David Brown, Councilmembers Mark Infanti, Elizabeth Orona, Louise Smith
Absent: Mayor pro tem Claudia Orona
Staff: City Manager Randy Murphy, City Attorney Chelsea O’Sullivan, Senior Attorney Sarah Gerst, City Clerk Annamarie Porter
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
Councilmember Smith led in the Pledge of Allegiance.
1. PUBLIC COMMUNICATIONS ON CLOSED SESSION ONLY - None
2. RECESS TO CLOSED SESSION
a. CONFERENCE WITH LEGAL COUNSEL – EXISTING LITIGATION – pursuant to Government Code Section 54956.9(d)(1)
Name of case:
South Coast Property Company 13-B, LP v. City of Solvang et al, Case No. 22-cv-00254 Mayor Brown recessed to Closed Session at 5:35 p.m.
RECONVENE TO OPEN SESSION
3. ANNOUNCEMENT OF CLOSED SESSION ACTIONS: 6:13 p.m.
City Attorney O’Sullivan noted no reportable action.
4. ADJOURNMENT
Closed Session was adjourned at 6:14 p.m.
6:30 PM REGULAR MEETING
CALL TO ORDER
MINUTES
SOLVANG CITY COUNCIL
MONDAY, AUGUST 11, 2025
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Mayor Brown called the Regular meeting to order at 6:31 p.m. in the City Hall Council Chamber, 1644 Oak Street, Solvang, California.
ROLL CALL
Present: Mayor David Brown, Councilmembers Mark Infanti, Elizabeth Orona, Louise Smith
Absent: Mayor pro tem Claudia Orona
Staff: City Manager Randy Murphy, City Attorney Chelsea O’Sullivan, City Clerk Annamarie Porter, Administrative Services Director Wendy Berry, Marketing Events Coordinator Candice Libera, Community Development Director Rafael Castillo, Assistant to the City Manager Uribe-Mutal, Marketing and Events Coordinator Candice Libera.
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
Tom Olmstead led in the Pledge of Allegiance.
1. PROCLAMATIONS, COMMENDATIONS AND CEREMONIAL ITEMS - None
2. PRESENTATIONS
a. Solvang Senior Center Update
Ellen Albertoni and Tom Olmstead, Solvang Senior Center, presented an update of operations at the Solvang Senior Center
b. IPW 2025 Trade Show Update
Marketing Events Coordinator Libera reported on attending the IPW 2025 Trade Show and addressed topics, meetings and events.
3. PUBLIC COMMUNICATIONS – NON- AGENDA AND CONSENT ITEMS Mayor Brown invited public comments.
Evelyne Chezum
There were no other public comments.
4. CITY MANAGER REPORT AND ADVANCE CALENDAR
City Manager Murphy announced the next quarterly cleanup, an update on the Alamo Pintado Bridge project.
5. GC SECTION 53232.3(d) (aka AB 1234) and GC SECTION 84308 (aka SB 1439) REPORT OUT,
COUNCIL COMMENTS, REQUESTS
Councilmember Smith reported on a meeting with School Superintendent Sierra Loughridge to discuss school needs for a parking lot; talked about discussions at the recent DRC meeting; addressed a City of Goleta Special City Council meeting, the Santa Barbara Vintners Association annual meeting.
Councilmember Infanti spoke about he and the Mayor attending the Alamo Pintado Bridge project meeting.
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Councilmember Elizabeth Orona reported attending the last DRC meeting, that staff prioritize fire abatement on the way into the City between Nelson’s and Fifth Street; asked staff to provide a midpoint assessment of increases (baseline and variables), pedestrian help on Mission.
Mayor Brown reported meeting with the Santa Barbara Community Environmental Council; meeting with Congressional Candidate Bob Smith, an SBCAG meeting; requested information on the sign ordinance as it relates to non-profits.
6. CONSENT ITEMS
a. Councilmember Elizabeth Orona pulled this item from Consent. b. Approve City Council Minutes: July 14, 2025
c. Receive Santa Ynez Active Transportation Project Letter of Support d. Adopt (Second Reading) Ordinance 25-0383 Amending the City’s Cross-Connection Program e. Approve Marketing and Events Assistant Part-time Job Description f. Adopt Resolution No. 25-1301 Updated Organization Chart g. Approve Amended IT Contract with Saberdome dba Lanspeed h. VisitSYV Annual Report 2024
i. Opposition to Federal Bill H.R. 4403- Cloud Seeding
Councilmember Elizabeth Orona pulled Item 6.a for separate discussion.
Motion by Councilmember Elizabeth Orona to approve the Consent Calendar, as amended, pulling Item No. 6.a for separate consideration, seconded by Councilmember Infanti, and carried 4-0, Mayor pro tem Claudia Orona, absent.
ITEMS PULLED FROM CONSENT
a. Approve Order of Agenda
Motion by Councilmember Elizabeth Orona to reorder the agenda to address subitems 8.a, 8.d, 8.e, 8.b and 8.c accordingly.
City Manager Murphy mentioned that hourly staff is ready to present 8.b and 8.c and asked that she be allowed to present first in order to get back to her family.
The motion died for lack of a second.
Motion by Mayor Brown, seconded by Councilmember Infanti, to approve Item 6.a as presented and carried 3-1, Councilmember Elizabeth Orona opposed and Mayor pro tem Claudia Orona, absent.
7. PUBLIC HEARINGS - None
8. DISCUSSION ITEMS:
a. Adopt Resolution 25-1302 Authorizing Participation in the PARS Post-Employment Benefits Trust, Termination of CalPERS CERBT, a Trust-to-Trust Transfer of CERBT Assets, and Approval of a Pension and OPEB Funding Policy
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Administrative Services Director Berry presented an introductory report and deferred to Rachel Sanders, PARS for a report.
Rachel Sanders, PARS, narrated a PowerPoint presentation with details of the report.
Discussion followed regarding the Plan Administrator, time requirements, the difference between active and passive management, fees frequency of reviews, maintaining local control, and diversifying outside of PERS.
City Manager Murphy added that the City is obligated to make payments to PERS, in perpetuity; spoke about items affecting the rate of return and noted that the City can do better having control of its investment vehicles.
Discussion followed regarding expectations of the Plan Administrator, determining levels of risks, adopting the funding policy by Council, automatic management of the plan by PFM, the importance of a balanced portfolio and diversifying and the most common option adopted by agencies.
Mayor Brown invited public comments.
C.J. Jackson
There were no other public comments on this item.
Motion by Councilmember Elizabeth Orona, to adopt Resolution 25-1302 Authorizing Participation in the PARS Post-Employment Benefits Trust, Termination of CalPERS CERBT, a Trust-to-Trust Transfer of CERBT Assets, and approve a Pension and OPEB Funding Policy, as amended to add that Council review the recommendation on the risk profile and revisit the topic, annually.
City Attorney O’Sullivan suggested giving staff direction to amend the Roles and Responsibilities section on Page 111 of the Resolution to add that Council shall also review annual funding reports and approve the investment strategy selected by the Plan Administrator.
Councilmember Infanti seconded the motion, which carried 4-0, Mayor pro tem Claudia Orona, absent.
b. Wine Country Marathon Update
Marketing Events Coordinator Libera presented an update on the Wine Country Marathon event.
There were no public comments on this item.
c. Julefest Planning Update
Marketing Events Coordinator Libera presented an update on the Julefest planning.
Mayor Brown invited public comments.
Dennis Beebe
Aaron Petersen
There were no other public comments on this item.
d. Direction on Short Term Rental Ordinance Amendment
Planning Manager Castillo presented details of the report regarding the Short Term Rental (STR) Docusign Envelope ID: F5FAE15A-B053-4B4E-920C-9F6C81B33C7E M 2025-08-11 CC 5
Ordinance and potential amendments.
Discussion followed regarding units considered permanent, owner-occupied, prohibiting vacation rentals in residential areas, addressing removal of vacation rental permits for existing vacation rentals, lack of a cap of existing vacation rentals in the VMU, impacts of STRs to hotel occupancy and TOT, ADUs, establishing quiet times, the need to protect property rights and challenges with enforcement if they are allowed outside the VMU.
Mayor Brown invited public comments.
Dennis Beebe
C.J. Jackson
Aaron Petersen
Brandon Sparks-Gillis
There were no other public comments on this item.
e. Approve Video Surveillance Policy
Assistant to the City Manager Uribe-Mutal presented details of the report including details of the existing Video Surveillance Policy.
Discussion followed regarding monthly or annual additional costs, storage costs and limiting audio recordings, being clear relative to procedures, necessary notices to the public, Mayor Brown invited public comments.
Dennis Beebe
There were no other public comments.
Motion by Councilmember Elizabeth Orona, seconded by Councilmember Infanti, to direct staff to return with a Video Surveillance Policy, incorporating Council’s feedback and returning to Council for final approval as a Consent Item, which carried 4-0, Mayor pro tem Claudia Orona, absent.
9. COUNCIL CLOSING COMMENTS - None
10. ADJOURNMENT
The meeting was adjourned at 9:19 p.m.
Respectfully submitted:
Annamarie Porter, CMC, City Clerk
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