VISTA CITY COUNCIL (CC) BUENA SANITATION DISTRICT (BSD) COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION (CDC)
SUCCESSOR AGENCY TO THE VISTA REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY (SA) JOINT POWERS FINANCING AUTHORITY (JPFA)
CITY OF VISTA
EMERGENCY MEETING MINUTES
SEPTEMBER 12, 2023
The September 12, 2023, Emergency Meeting of the City Council of the Chartered City of Vista was called to order by Mayor Franklin at 8:00 pm in the City Council Chambers, 200 Civic Center Drive, Vista, California.
COUNCIL MEMBERS PRESENT
Mayor John Franklin, Deputy Mayor Corinna Contreras
Joe Green, Dan O’Donnell, Katie Melendez
DEPARTMENT REPRESENTATIVES PRESENT
John Conley City Manager
Walter Chung City Attorney
John Boyce Sheriff’s Captain
Gerard Washington Fire Chief
Kathy Valdez City Clerk
Greg Mayer Acting Engineering Department Director
Michael Ressler Principal Planner for Patsy Chow, Acting Community Development Director Dolores Gascon Human Resources Director
Larry Vaupel Economic Development Director
Mike Pacheco Recreation and Community Services Director Kuna Muthusamy Public Works Director
Mike Sylvia Finance Director
DISCUSSION
D1. HOMELESS SHELTER STATUS (CC)
Homeless Services Manager Jonathan Lung provided the staff presentation.
Marylynn McCorkle, Alliance for Regional Solutions, assured the City Council that the agency wants to work with the City to address the concerns, that they plan to have monthly meetings with the shelter sites and outreach workers, and that they will establish a system to keep City staff and outreach workers informed about bed vacancies.
Representatives from Exodus and Haven House were available to answer questions.
City Council Members, staff, and providers discussed the following:
• Transportation is available to the shelters
• Haven House is in the process of moving locations and intakes were temporarily halted; intakes have resumed with three intakes from Vista scheduled for tomorrow • Very concerned that beds were not available when unhoused individuals were willing to go • Need to know why beds were not available so the issue can be addressed • The proposed new agreement for shelter beds will tie payment directly to beds used • More oversight is needed; want to see monthly reports of shelter beds • The need for shelter beds will continue to grow
• Need to identify other resources, such as hotel vouchers, when shelter beds are not available • There is a need for permanent supportive housing
• The City received money for a non-congregate shelter; want the site to open as soon as possible
CONSOLIDATED MINUTES
SEPTEMBER 12, 2023
2 •An RFP for the operation of the non-congregate shelter will be released in October; can require that the shelter be open by the beginning of the new year •Consider declaring an emergency to help expedite the opening of the non-congregate shelter Community member Joe Houde offered to reach out to volunteer groups to help prepare the non- congregate shelter site.
DISCUSSED THE STATUS OF THE CITY’S HOMELESS SHELTER PROGRAM,
PROPOSED CHANGES TO THE AGREEMENT FOR SHELTER BEDS, AND
OPTIONS FOR EXPEDITING THE OPENING OF THE NON-CONGREGATE
SHELTER AND DIRECTED STAFF TO BRING NECESSARY ITEMS TO THE CITY COUNCIL AT THE SEPTEMBER 26, 2023 MEETING.
NO VOTE TAKEN.
ADJOURNMENT
Mayor Franklin adjourned the meeting at 9:21 pm.
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Kathy Valdez, City Clerk