CUTE CITY DANG REGULAR MEETING MINUTES
OF THE SONOMA CITY COUNCIL
CALIFORNIL City Council Chambers
City Council: 177 First Street West
Patricia Farrar-Rivas, Mayor Wednesday, November 5, 2025 Ron Wellander, Vice Mayor
Sandra Lowe
John Gurney 6:00 PM Regular Meeting
Jack Ding
REGULAR MEETING
CONVENE, CALL TO ORDER, & PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
Mayor Farrar-Rivas called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m.
ROLL CALL:
PRESENT: Mayor Farrar-Rivas, Vice Mayor Wellander, Council Member Lowe, Council Member Gurney, and Council Member Ding
REPORT ON CLOSED SESSION
There was no Closed Session held
APPROVAL OF AGENDA
Motion by Council Member Gurney, seconded by Council Member Ding, to approve the agenda as presented. Motion carried unanimously by voice vote.
1. COMMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC
Jessie Ortiz provided public comments.
2. MEETING DEDICATIONS
None.
3. COUNCILMEMBERS' REPORTS AND COMMENTS
Council Member Lowe appointed Christine Sanders as her direct appointment to the Historic Preservation Commission (HPC). She also attended a Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO) meeting today, November 5.
Council Member Gurney attended a Sonoma Tourism Improvement District (STID) meeting on October
29. On the same day, Mr. Gurney also attended the Sonoma Valley Community Roundtable event hosted by Santa Rosa Junior College.
Vice Mayor Wellander attended an event at Lake Mendocino on October 22. He also attended a Water Advisory Committee (WAC) meeting on November 3.
Council Member Ding shared highlights from his recent trip to Penglai, China, where he joined the Sister Cities delegation to visit the City's sister city.
On October 2, Mayor Farrar-Rivas attended a Sonoma Clean Power Board meeting. From October 8 through October 10, she attended the League of California Cities Annual Conference along with other councilmembers. On October 12, Mayor Farrar-Rivas attended the Catalyst Report on Aging in Sonoma County. On November 18, she attended the "No Kings" event in Sonoma. On October 21, she attended the Sonoma Collaborative Presentation on their Affordable Housing Roadmap. On October 23, Mrs.
Farrar-Rivas attended a website presentation hosted by the Attorney General, Bob Bonta. Lastly, the Mayor shared highlights from her recent trip where she visited one of the City's Sister City - Pátzcuaro, Mexico.
4. CITY MANAGER COMMENTS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
City Manager Guhin provided an update on SNAP benefits and discussed the various County programs currently working to offer additional assistance during this time of need. He also shared several upcoming community events and announcements.
The Sonoma County Multijurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan public meeting will take place tomorrow, November 6, at the Sonoma Valley Fire District Headquarters from 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. In addition, weather permitting, controlled pile burns are scheduled for Friday, November 7, at the Montini Preserve Also happening tomorrow, November 6, is the Sonoma Art Walk, which will be held in downtown Sonoma from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Looking ahead, the City will host a Cemetery Volunteer Clean-Up Day on Saturday, November 8, 2025, at the Veterans and Mountain Cemeteries from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Finally, City Manager Guhin noted that City Offices will be closed on Tuesday, November 11, 2025, in observance of Veterans Day.
Regular Meeting Minutes, November 5, 2025
5. CITY ATTORNEY COMMENTS
City Attorney Ruderman provided updates from a webinar he attended with the League of California Cities regarding Senate Bill (SB) 707.
6. PRESENTATIONS
Item 6.1: Proclamation Designating November 2025 as Native American Heritage Month in the City of Sonoma
7. CONSENT CALENDAR - CITY COUNCIL
Motion by Council Member Gurney, seconded by Council Member Lowe, to approve the consent calendar as presented. Motion carried unanimously by voice vote.
Item 7.1: Waive further reading and Authorize Introduction and/or Adoption of Ordinances by Title Only. (Standard procedural action - no backup information provided) Item 7.2: Receive Minutes from the Regular Meeting of October 15, 2025 (Rebekah Barr, MMC, City Clerk)
Action: Minutes were received.
Item 7.3: Adopt a Resolution Amending the City of Sonoma Conflict-of-Interest Code (Rebekah Barr, MMC, City Clerk)
Action: Adopted as Resolution 61-2025.
Item 7.4: Adopt An Ordinance Amending Sonoma Municipal Code Sections 19.54.080(D) Development Exempt from Design Review and 19.40.110(D) Projections into the Public Right-Of-Way, and Finding the Ordinance Exempt from the California Environmental Act (CEQA) (Jennifer Gates, Community Development Director) Action: Adopted as Ordinance 12-2025.
Item 7.5: Adopt a Resolution Authorizing the City Manager to Execute Professional Services Agreements with GHD, Inc. not to Exceed $600,000.00, and Moe Engineering Not to Exceed $750,000.00 for On-Call Engineering Services (Ashley Cotter, PW Admin & Project Manager)
Action: Adopted as Resolution 62-2025.
Item 7.6: Adopt a Resolution Authorizing the City Manager to Execute a Construction Contract with Granite Construction Inc. for $45,450, Approve $4,500 (10%) in Contingency, and Approve a Project Budget of $63,950 for Repairs to the Lovall Valley Bridge Waterline (Mike Berger, Public Works Director)
Action: Adopted as Resolution 63-2025.
8. PUBLIC HEARING
None.
9. REGULAR CALENDAR - CITY COUNCIL
Item 9.1: Study Session to Discuss Legal and Procedural Requirements for Mobilehome Park Closures and Conversions Under the City of Sonoma Existing Municipal Code and Recent Legislative Changes Under AB 2782 and SB 610 (Jennifer Gates, Community Development Director)
Action: The study session was held.
Public Comment: Lynn Marie de Vincent, Bonnie Joy Kaslan, Ann Colachitis, Caitlin Cornwall, Johr Kyle, and Diane Lumierial.
10. SECOND PUBLIC COMMENT (ONLY REQUIRED IF PUBLIC SPEAKERS REMAIN FROM ITEM 2.0) None.
11. ADJOURNMENT
Mayor Farrar-Rivas adjourned the meeting at 7:24 p.m.
HEREBY CERTIFY that the foregoing minutes were duly and regularly received at a regular meeting o he Sonoma City Council on the 19th of November 2025
Rebekah Barr, MMC, City Clerk
Regular Meeting Minutes, November 5, 2025