| Time | Speaker | Text |
|---|---|---|
| 00:00:01.13 | Unknown | for a roll call. |
| 00:00:05.53 | Unknown | Council Member Cox. |
| 00:00:07.56 | Joan | Here. |
| 00:00:08.52 | Unknown | Councilmember Hoffman. |
| 00:00:09.95 | Joan | Here. |
| 00:00:09.97 | Unknown | Here. Councilmember Withey? Here. Vice Mayor Cleveland Knowles? Here. Mayor Burns? Here. |
| 00:00:14.39 | Unknown | I'M HERE. |
| 00:00:17.56 | Unknown | No better time to call for a pledge of allegiance than today. If you can, please stand for the pledge allegiance. And Melanie Malharshan, will you please lead us. |
| 00:00:30.17 | Melanie Malharshan | but allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. |
| 00:00:30.20 | Unknown | but to lead us to the flag of the United States of America. |
| 00:00:33.97 | Unknown | Thank you. |
| 00:00:34.03 | Unknown | Thank you. |
| 00:00:34.17 | Unknown | you Thank you. |
| 00:00:44.21 | Unknown | Thank you. |
| 00:00:48.33 | Unknown | I'm now looking, thank you for the cards, we have some more coming up, this is great. I'm now looking for an approval of our agenda for this morning. So moved. |
| 00:00:55.82 | Unknown | Second. |
| 00:00:56.58 | Unknown | All in favor? Aye. |
| 00:00:57.44 | Unknown | Hi. |
| 00:00:58.87 | Unknown | That passes 5 to 0. We have one business item today. I'm going to call up staff to present a consideration of a resolution declaring the existence of a local emergency related to storm activity and land solids occurring in February 2019. Thank you all for being here. We're going to have an opportunity for public comment on this item. After the staff presentation, we'll ask some questions and allow you to as well, so thank you. Mary, you want to take it? |
| 00:01:28.83 | Mary Wagner | Thank you, Mr. Mayor, members of the City Council. As you know, a storm system known as an atmospheric river resulted in extremely heavy rainfall in Southern Marin County, including the city of Sausalito. That began approximately Tuesday, February 12th. Sausalito received nearly seven inches of rain in a very short period of time on ground that was already saturated from prior storms. As you also know, a mud slide occurred in the early morning of February 14th in the area of Sausalito Boulevard and Crescent Avenue. The slide destroyed at least two residential structures and caused significant damage to numerous others. A number of cars were also destroyed. Earth movement and slides occur in other areas of the city from the storm system, including at least two incidents in the vicinity of Bridgeway and Ebb Tide. Local roadways are closed still and public facilities and infrastructure have been damaged. On February 14th, pursuant to the Sausalito Municipal Code, the city manager acting as the director of emergency services issued a proclamation of a local emergency. Issuing this declaration puts the city in a position to seek reimbursement from the state and or federal government for costs associated with this local damage. Today you're being asked to ratify the declaration of the local emergency pursuant to the California government code. State law also requires that the council review the need for continuing the local emergency at least once every 30 days. We anticipate that the first review of this will occur at your regularly scheduled meeting on February 26th, when we will also have an opportunity to bring forward additional information related to the storm and the damage that occurred. Other local jurisdictions are also considering declarations of a local emergency. The county on February 15th in the evening issued A declaration of a local emergency and the county board of supervisors is considering ratification of that action tomorrow afternoon. They specifically cited the closure of the North Coast Railroad Authority Freight Railway and Highway 37 as two of the items that have occurred in the county. Thank you. The town of Tiburon is also considering declaring a local emergency at its regular meeting on February 20th. They cite damage to their local roadways. You have a proclamation in front of you tonight that includes the findings that are listed up on the screen. I won't walk through them, you all have that in your packet. But we can certainly address any of those if you have questions. Our recommendation today is that you adopt the resolution in your packet ratifying the proclamation of a local emergency related to storm activity and landslides occurring in February of 2019. I'm available for any questions as is the city manager. Your interim director of public works is also here as well as other staff if you have questions. Thank you. |
| 00:04:30.01 | Unknown | Thank you. Any questions for Mary? I'm just going to have one Mary just kind of in context of what we're doing today. We're simply approving this resolution. And I want to also make a statement that we are having an additional meeting more on the topic on February 26th at a regular city council meeting. |
| 00:04:48.95 | Mary Wagner | Correct. |
| 00:04:50.06 | Unknown | Thank you. Great, I'm going to open it up to public comment, and I have received eight or so cards, six cards, thank you. If there's any others, please fill out a card, just so we can have you on record. We want to hear from you as you heard our topic today, and we will be hearing this item again in depth at our next City Council meeting. Please come up. I'll give you three names, and so you'll be in order of ready. Stephen Woodside, then Rob Cox, then Susan Gordon. |
| 00:05:23.71 | Stephen Woodside | Thank you. THE FAMILY IS Thank you, Mayor Burns, and may it please the council. My name is Stephen Woodside. I live in the southern edge of town, not terribly far from the slide. It did awaken me, caused my dog to wake up, and then later realized something was going on when I saw lots of flashing lights. And the first thing I want to say is great thanks to the public works staff and the first responders because I know from talking with them the next day they've been up all night They were being very helpful to those who are trying to seek information You know how safe is it can we get back etc. Etc. And that that's really the main reason I'm here The second reason is as you adopt this, I would encourage you strongly to really investigate how much more you can do with emergency funds to deal with not just the debris, et cetera, from this landslide, but there are other active places that have been affected. They were not as significant, but I think it's important. I know from experience elsewhere, under these declarations, Counties have been able to do a lot of geologic work on making sure that we have good maps on where the real landslides are so you can protect public roads, et cetera, and also designate areas where it might not be appropriate to build. So those things I would encourage your staff to pursue and finally money is always an issue that's the reason you're doing this so you can get some emergency funds there's another mechanism that I think staff for the longer term should explore and that's a creation of a geologic hazard abatement district |
| 00:06:43.50 | Unknown | I'm sorry. |
| 00:07:11.29 | Stephen Woodside | also known as Jihad, not the one we hear about in the news usually, but G-H-A-D. It's a special district and the benefit of it is it can, it's a standalone special district that has its own taxing authority and I'm sure voters in Sausalito would be open to considering some additional monies in order to abate hazards such as we've experienced recently. Thank you very much. |
| 00:07:35.99 | Unknown | Thank you, Steven. Great information. Rob Cox. |
| 00:07:41.65 | Rob Cox | Thank you, and I join my neighbor and good friend, Stephen Woodside, in supporting the proclamation that you're considering here today. I also want to extend my thanks to the city council, the city staff. Hold on. I'm sorry, Rob. Just a second. |
| 00:08:00.58 | Unknown | Thank you. No, no problem. I think that's more appropriate. You mean you guys don't want to hear me? Thank you. You got me saying the pledge though, that was good. |
| 00:08:12.48 | Unknown | Thank you. |
| 00:08:20.54 | Rob Cox | So I wanted to extend my thanks to the city council, the city staff, and the first responders for taking such good care of our fellow residents in Sausalito that night of February 14th. And I second what Steven Woodside has said about expressing hope that the city staff and council will look into other other mechanisms to make sure that we don't encounter similar problems with mudslides and landslides in Sausalito in the future And to that point in particular, I commend the staff and the city council to look at the area in southern Sausalito, and I'm aware at the Edwards and Marion intersection, there's an area. very prone to landslides that the city was made aware of back in 96 at the time of another mudslide and the city engineer has a copy of the geotechnical work that was done on behalf of the city in 96 with respect to that area. So in short, to be proactive and to prepare ourselves, our city for potential landslides in the future. And with that, I thank you. Thank you. |
| 00:09:41.36 | Unknown | Thank you, Rob. Susan Gordon and then Melanie and Jennifer Nix. Susan, you are our hero. When you're done, please come up with a |
| 00:09:53.79 | Susan Gordon | I'm not a hero, I'm a survivor. I have lived in Sausalito for 25 years. I've been a member of the women's club for 25 years. This is a community that comes together and surrounds each other and helps one another. That's why I chose to live here. you The outpour has been to the point where it's made me a nervous wreck. I'm so happy to be here today. there's a lot of people in this room who were affected. We need help. We need counseling. We need to know where we can go and what we can do. My loss. Besides the loss of a very precious person in my life, my little cat, I lost $2 million. But my life was saved and I'm really concerned by the fact that I lived on that property for, 15 years. not knowing that Caltran had been dumping dirt above us on the hill that slid. And that was actually a fire road up there that they used to access that whole area. And that there was a slide in 1982. I don't know who was responsible for that land. I don't know who was responsible for watching it. But Caltrans must have dumped a lot of dirt along these ridges that had caused a problem. and from what I understand from a geological man, that the dirt was done. dumped on top of the water and the dirt didn't have anywhere to go to run off the water. So it was accumulating like a dam. And it burst like a dam. So we need help from the city and we need help from you as our our representatives, we need a meeting. There's a lot of us here today who'd be happy to stay for a meeting or assign someone to be a spokesperson in between the council and us so we don't. So we embrace each other as the community that we are. I think that's about it. And thank you all for your help. |
| 00:12:18.41 | Unknown | Thank you, Susan. If you'll just stay there for a moment. We are so thankful that you're here today, and we'd like to give you a round of applause. |
| 00:12:34.14 | Unknown | Would you mind coming up so we could shake your hand? |
| 00:12:36.28 | Susan Gordon | No. |
| 00:12:36.82 | Unknown | Thank you. Please watch the Gubing Amendment. |
| 00:12:38.29 | Unknown | THE WATER STAR. |
| 00:12:38.60 | Susan Gordon | Thank you. . One, two, one. |
| 00:12:46.97 | Susan Gordon | you |
| 00:12:51.62 | Susan Gordon | Thank you. |
| 00:13:03.65 | Unknown | Melanie, Jennifer Nix, then Zach Garza. |
| 00:13:12.36 | Unknown | Good morning, Mayor, Vice Mayor, Council Members, staff, and first responders. I want to commend and thank all of you for your efforts over these last few days. Namaste. I'm here to urge you to put a pause on our short term rental restrictions and penalties. So Sausaletons can help Sausaletons as part of our emergency program here. In November, my family housed a family from Paradise at our home in Truckee. And I've been quoted in Forbes magazine as an expert in flexible housing, which I'd like to send you a link to. Flexible housing is a lot more than short term rentals. It's one, housing stock that's fully furnished. Two, the rent includes utilities. And three, it's accessible for time frames of a weekend to six or more months. That's what makes it fully turnkey and able to be deployed at a moment's notice in an emergency. Long-term rental stock cannot provide this, but a small regulated STR program can. We need to keep our options open right now. Remember when a small group of residents wanted to shut down sea plane operations or when there were mixed feelings about upgrading our ferry? It didn't take long before mudslides had Big Sur accessible by aircraft only and parts of Santa Barbara accessible by ferry only, so never say never, right? There have been some grassroots efforts here to identify short term housing, but this must be handled with care. Consider Sausalitans who aren't fully informed about our city's penalties being drawn into making their homes available and then getting fined. Their homes would not necessarily have been validated for basic health and safety requirements such as smoke detectors and egress from a sleeping area. And what if housing needs extend beyond 30 days and someone who signed up temporarily runs afoul of landlord tenant laws? I want to point out Airbnb's disaster housing program, which solves many of these issues and can be deployed quickly across multiple agencies like Mill Valley and Marin overnight. We need all options because people housed tonight might not be tomorrow. And it could be a long time before this is permanently solved. So I'd like to hear more about the slide on the north end of town that started underneath an apartment complex. If anything further happens with that, it could create tremendous housing needs. So even after the recent mudslinging our group of home sharing hopefuls remains ever faithful. It's water under the bridge. We want to help. I'd also like to offer my experience in activating an emergency housing program here. So please put a pause on the home sharing ban and penalties under our emergency declaration. Thank you very much. |
| 00:15:52.54 | Unknown | Jennifer, Zach, then Bob and Melissa Lelaine. |
| 00:15:59.26 | Unknown | Hello, I'd like to thank the city council, and I'd also like to send big love out to all of you that have been affected by the mudslides. And I do have cards here. My husband and I are offering free short-term shelter for anybody who's immediately in need right here in town. Um, And I want to second what Melanie was saying. I mean, we already have a network of people here in this town who are ready, willing, and able to provide this short-term housing and You know, I know At the meeting that I attended, there were a lot of hard feelings and a lot of frankly bullying, I mean, we've spent a lot of time and a lot of money doing research into this. And I know it got, It got voted down. it's worth revisiting because Anything, I mean, this shows anything can happen, and we need creative and flexible housing. And we need, in this era, We need to be, inviting people into our community and just being more open-minded, looking into people's faces, not |
| 00:17:03.58 | Unknown | RUNNING AWAY. |
| 00:17:03.65 | Unknown | running away in fear and listening to you know, bullies and fear-mongering. I just want to, again, say I'm so sorry you're all dealing with this, and if I can give any help, I brought a bunch of cards, and anywhere from a week to a month we can do for free. Okay? Thank you. |
| 00:17:24.83 | Rob Cox | What was that? |
| 00:17:26.65 | Zach Garza | Hello, council, and especially Mrs. Hoffman. I just really want to thank you guys for everything that you've been doing to support me and my family. Also, our neighbors that live above us. We were the residents at 402 and 404 Sausaluda Boulevard, so our property has been deemed red-tagged. And also before I forget, I just want to thank the community of Sausalito. We've only lived here since the beginning of September, but we've grown to see this place as a home and a place that we couldn't imagine living without. Unfortunately, with that being said, our place is red tagged and |
| 00:18:06.68 | Adam Politzer | Mm-mm. |
| 00:18:07.66 | Zach Garza | on top of, you know, living in a hotel right now and trying to find a new home, uh, we're dealing with some, some issues with our landlord. Um, not really trying to give us the help that we feel that we deserve. And, uh, Because of that, I don't really have and possess the legal acumen to know what the laws are here as far as tenants in California. So I would hope my question is to you, and it doesn't have to be answered here today or in this moment now, but after the meeting or whatever, is what rights do we have? And if there's any help, somebody can give us information on how we can move on from this. And, you know, we are looking for a place to live as well. And, you know, if anybody has any suggestions, we'd greatly appreciate it. But we really appreciate all the help that we've gotten thus far. And Susan, you've been amazing, and we're blessed to be your neighbor. And. It was only like last week we were looking for your vacuum cleaner on our deck. We know it's down there now, so. But thank you to everybody here, and I really look forward to what you guys are going to be able to do for the future of this place. So thank you. Thank you. |
| 00:19:13.51 | Unknown | Thank you. |
| 00:19:13.86 | Bob | Thank you. |
| 00:19:15.77 | Unknown | Thank you. |
| 00:19:15.78 | Bob | Bob, Melissa. Good morning, council. My wife, Millicent, and I. |
| 00:19:18.43 | Unknown | Thank you. |
| 00:19:18.48 | Zach Garza | Thank you. |
| 00:19:18.55 | Unknown | Thank you. |
| 00:19:18.58 | Zach Garza | THE END OF |
| 00:19:18.77 | Unknown | Thank you. |
| 00:19:19.36 | Zach Garza | Thank you. |
| 00:19:24.29 | Bob | We thank you for this opportunity. We greatly support it. And as the first couple of gentlemen mentioned, speaking about other active potential issues and trying to throw everything in the bucket to get funding, my wife and I about two years ago purchased six Josephine that we're preserving, which is at the corner of Josephine and North at the top of the North Street stairs. And with these rains, we feel like we're surrounded to the west by Josephine Street and then to the south and the east by the North Street stairs and city property all around us. And we feel like we're being surrounded by these water issues that are beginning to have a negative impact on our property. Wednesday, when there was a big downpour, I was at the site with our builders, and there's an AT&T box on the uphill side of our property against our curb that's in the street, and it's about a three foot by three foot big splice box in the street, and water was just gushing out of it. So I called Pat Wasco, and he came over, and I said clearly, Pat, there's water under the street. He thinks maybe AT&T raceways are like sewer lines that they don't know about. Um, But also there's a section of concrete street in front of our house that's lifting and settling. And it's clear that as you go down the hill in front of our house, if you tap the concrete, the street with a hammer, it's hollow underneath there. And there's concern about a sinkhole. And it's kind of right near where that 100-foot stone pine fell. But then when you go down the stairs, there's a retaining wall, a railroad retaining wall that's up against our parking deck that's on city property that has failed. And then further down, the North Street stair slid last year, and it slid again this year, recently, last week. And it's pulling our land down with it. So we hope that the city will be more proactive on getting these issues addressed. We're more than happy to participate. We're more than happy to reconform the land below our house to help the city with its land so that as you undermine, you're pulling us, and we can recontour whatever we can do to help the city with its land so that, you know, as you undermine, you're pulling us and we can recontour whatever we can do to help. The planning department and Kenneth Henry in particular has been great to work with, and we'd love to engage more with public works and try to help get these issues resolved once and for all so that we feel that our house is at meanwhile we've we've it's just a joy to been working here and be here in Sausalito and thank you for all your help Thank you. |
| 00:22:01.26 | Unknown | Oh, I think I have my glasses on for this one. Kevin Austin. you Thank you. Karen Sachs, and then Brian Wilson. |
| 00:22:17.61 | Kevin Austin | Hi, everybody. And I just want to express, like everyone else has, my sincere thank you to all the residents of Sausalito especially. I live with Zach Garza in the unit above, and we live next to Susan. And also the Wilsons were in the corridor that was affected on the Sausalito Boulevard portion. and I just want to try to gain a little bit more knowledge through this process, but also express concerns that we were there in the first place and what our rights are moving in. We're not from this area. And was that area even safe to begin with, like Susan was expressing. And then going forward in the future, as a tenant, what are our rights with the information that needs to be expressed to us before we move in to a place that maybe not was fully structurally sound in the first place? There also was a partial slide just up the street that I know it was falling down and damaged one of the cars. A couple of houses up from us that started a week ago. So that was a concern that we had already. And we're also going through the same process as the Garza's with just, you know, where do we go from here? I mean, it's an extreme high cost of trying to find a new place. We're in total limbo of trying to get out of a current lease agreement. And what are the specifics and who determines that the red flag is lifted, the engineers involved in this process, not only for our property, but everyone else's property that is directly next to us, below us, and also the National Park, soil up there where all of this occurred and there was clearly water, a waterway there um, in my unprofessional opinion that area cannot be deemed safe because who knows what's gonna happen, it's still winter time and any of that land that's now permanently affected, it's only going to create more displacement as time goes on. That just seems like a logical conclusion from this giant piece of earth that came down. And we're just extremely concerned for everyone who's still there. And we're extremely just, it was a miracle. We're just so fortunate that everything happened. and when it came down and was affected Susan directly and then came right at our... so fortunate that everything happened. When it came down and was affected Susan directly, and then came right at our bedroom window. So I want to thank everybody here for their support. And I know that we trust Sausalito as a wonderful community. Everybody's been so just amazing to us that we're kind of like the small fish. I mean, we're just renters. |
| 00:25:21.75 | Unknown | Amen. |
| 00:25:27.05 | Kevin Austin | THE FAMILY IS We're just renters in this community and our work. Sorry. |
| 00:25:39.65 | Kevin Austin | I work locally throughout Southern Marin, and just all the people have been so helpful to us. So, thank you. |
| 00:25:47.42 | Unknown | Thank you, Kevin. |
| 00:25:53.04 | Karin Sachs | Hi, good morning. I'm Karin Sachs. Thank you to the council members for having this meeting. I moved here in late June to 414 Sausalito Boulevard from Yontville where I'd gone through the fires. And, um, I'm very good friends with Susan Gordon. She was the one that allowed me to stay with her during the fires of October, I think 2017 up there. And, um... On Valentine's morning at three in the morning, you that. It's the most remarkable thing I've ever been through, to hear the whoosh and the roar. and the transformer blowing and then the carport at 414-412 where Sarah, Brian, and I lived gave way, ripped off with three cars on it. The whole mudslide then shifted to the right and took Susan down the hill, and I'm so grateful she's still alive. I've known her since 1994. So with all of that said, I'm very grateful to the fire department for rescuing me and a friend of mine, Jim Hurwitz, out of my bedroom window. I have two main concerns. One is I've noticed having gone up there and looked I remember that. This evening I had come back from doing some work in San Luis Obispo and really a gushing waterfall coming down that hill. I was so concerned about it, it didn't seem normal to me that I called Brian Wilson. And I said, is this okay to have this kind of water? Thank you. coming down in a torrent. And then now I've noticed since post-slide that work had been done, prior work had been done on that. on the slide area and I don't know when or who did it, but I'd like to know more about the history and the chronology of the work on that slide area. The second main concern I have is the salvage area. I, Unfortunately, We all have lost stuff, most of all Susan Gordon, but there are. Things that I would like to be able to have, whichever excavation salvage company is used by the city. I would like to know where our stuff is going and to be able to try to rescue as much as we can because I know that Sarah and Brian and I had things in storage bins on the carport. that were swept off and I can literally see some of my grandmother's artwork. So that's my second area of concern, I'd like to be empowered and to be involved. in the salvage cleanup area for us to all try to rescue things from our cars and storage bins. So thank you very much. |
| 00:29:00.30 | Unknown | Thank you, Karin. And we are going to address some of these things at the end of the meeting. |
| 00:29:05.48 | Brian Wilson | Yeah, hi. My name's Brian Wilson. Myself, my wife, Sarah, and our little one-year-old baby, Axel, lived at 412 Saucolid Boulevard. As Karin mentioned, our carport was swept away. You know, that night we were woken by a noise we'd never, ever experienced before. It sounded like a freight freight train and walked out of our living room and I looked out and realized that Susan's house was gone and our you know the big tree that was between our house was gone and I said we have to get out of here and so I went and opened the front door and that's when I saw mud on our deck and looked out and realized Our car was gone, the carport was gone, and realized we'd have to, go out a back window. So we did. I, realized I couldn't get out the back myself and I called 911 And the 911 dispatch that picked up was Oakland, and they told me to hang up and call 411. 411. Um, And so I did and got an automatic recording. And I was sitting on my windowsill trying to figure out what this 411 is and who's coming. And thank God, obviously, other people had called 911. And the fire trucks were literally coming down the street. So I yelled to them and had our flashlight on our iPhone and flagged them down. And thank God they rescued us. So I want to thank the first responders for that. We passed our baby out the window. My wife went out. I came out. We had packed go bags. So we each had a bag. And I had grabbed whatever we could, a backpack, and some baby stuff, but that's it. That's what we have. I So then we jumped in the car with a neighbor that we hadn't met, and they drove us to a hotel, and we stayed a night there. And then luckily it was holiday weekend, so some friends were going to Tahoe. Their house here in Sausalito was open, so that's where we've been staying for the last couple days. Okay. Our landlords have been incredible. David and Winston are back here today. They've done everything they can do, but they're going to need a lot of help as well. Our insurance won't cover moving earth. I don't think theirs will either. So there's a lot of us that are going to be out of... out of luck there. So we would like to make sure that we get some assistance. Obviously, our landlords get assistance and everyone else who, um, who, uh, needs it can get it. Um, I also did come to Red Cross to see if we could get some vouchers and they had run out. Um, so, uh, you know, we're, um, We'll be okay. We're out of pocket on a lot of things right now, and we're getting some help from other people, which is great. But I want to reiterate that there's a lot of people here today that will need help, and hopefully they can get it. I think that's all I wanted to say. Thank you to the police department as well. He has called us three separate times to check in and just see if we're okay. That's been incredible. John in the back and another gentleman I can't remember called on Friday. So thank you for that. But, yeah, that's it. |
| 00:32:31.89 | Unknown | Thank you, Brian. |
| 00:32:37.36 | Unknown | I have one more card from Winston Ashmead, and that's it. If anybody else would like to address the council, you can fill out a card. We'd love to hear from you. |
| 00:32:47.47 | Winston Ashmead | Good morning council members and Mr. Mayor. My name is Winston Ashmead and my partner David Johnson and I are the owners of 412. 414. We would like to express our thanks and gratitude as well as everyone else here to the public service people, the responders who rescued Susan, our neighbor, and Brian and his wife Sarah and their baby and Karen as well. Um, I'd basically like to, um, just second what Karen and Brian have said, and that is that they need assistance now in retrieving their property. from the salvage areas. They have a lot of things that went down on the deck And if it's at all possible to assist them in having those things retrieved, whatever that can be retrieved, then we'd be most grateful for that. In the meantime, we are of course working to see to it that they can get back into the premises as soon as possible. to get their belongings there. And we are prepared to do everything we can to assist them. We're very sorry, of course, about what's happened to them and to all the other people along South Street Boulevard and Crescent. And I hope that the other renters. we'll get the assistance that they need as well because it's really heart-rending to hear the stories that we've heard this morning. So thank you very much, and we really would appreciate any assistance you can give to us, of course, but especially to our tenants and the other renters who do not have property, and again, Congratulations to Susan for having me. Thank you. |
| 00:34:43.23 | Unknown | Thank you. Any others? Thank you all. Just on behalf of the council, Karin, Zach, Kevin, Susan, and Brian, those that were most impacted right there at the site on the 14th. We're so glad that you're here today with us. So that was the first and foremost on all of our minds through this entire process. So I want to acknowledge you and thank you for your words today as well. A lot of questions have been brought up. This is public comment we can address in a certain way. I'm actually going to ask the city manager to ask a few and then the council can ask the city manager a few. We might even ask our city engineer, Dave Bracken, to come up as well. But Adam, there's two apparent areas here that you might want to address. Assistance for property owners and what today's action, how that might play in that, as well as the opportunity to salvage anything that might be still out there. If you can speak to those two for now. Thanks. |
| 00:35:44.34 | Adam Politzer | Thank you, Mr. Mayor and council members and to the public here. my sincere appreciation for our first responders, our community members for their very quick and responsive actions that hopefully have made a difference in people's lives, not just in saving them, but actually trying to. get people moving in the right direction. So the public comment from our residents today was very, very helpful. And we will continue to reach out to our residents and start holding meetings with those most affected. So good questions about the renters and landlords rights. So that's something that we're going to need to look into to see how we can help both. That's our intentions is to help both our renters. and absolutely the property owners to expedite as best we can to get them back into their homes. So I would, just as you've been reached out from various members of our staff, be it the community development department or the police department, in helping folks at least get in to the red tagged homes. So they can collect some of their belongings so that they can at least have some of the things that were critical for them to have. We'll continue to work with them to do that. The efforts right now as we've placed on our website is really focusing on making sure that the hillside is stabilized. That we don't have any future slide events. We are working. Every day we've been talking with the Park Service and Caltrans. Since the afternoon of the event of the 14th, once we were able to shift from the focus out on the site to actually getting our partners to the table. And I'd like to thank Caltrans and the Park Service for coming to the table and working with us to start confirming that the site is stabilized. And that process is going to take a little bit of time to make sure. And thankfully, the weather is working in our favor. the Majoran Gelati, as everyone has seen, has been out there. We mobilize them as quickly as we can, so thankfully they've been out there clearing, Saucedo Boulevard, the intent originally was to move them as quickly as possible down to Crescent to start clearing and opening Crescent. But as the residents have expressed, we quickly recognized that there was personal belongings in there that was in that debris that were salvageable. And we want to do everything in our efforts to make sure that people are able to recover their property. But there's also hazardous material in there. And so we have to have that debris tested and then we need to come up with a process to to start sifting through it so that we're separating the material so that people can collect their their belongings. I want to make sure that the public knows this and hears this loudly that we do not want anybody going into that debris at this time. It is dangerous and we are not yet completely confident that moving any of that material would not disable the hill above. So we are taking our time on this down hill debris clearing but we absolutely want to work with our residents to make sure that we help them recover their property as best we can so I think in the next you know, 48 hours, that information will become more apparent to us and again part of that time is because the material has to be tested before we can let any of our engineers get into that site and start exploring strategies to recover and then remove and reopen Crescent Thank you. |
| 00:39:53.90 | Unknown | Sorry, thank you Adam for that. We're going to back up for any more comments, questions of staff. |
| 00:40:02.73 | Joan | I have no questions, but I have a couple of comments. |
| 00:40:05.34 | Unknown | Okay. Any questions? Let's just go back since we've had so much information. |
| 00:40:07.70 | Jill Hoffman | since we've had Adam, I think it would be helpful, and I'm just throwing this out as a suggestion, that there's one person in the city that's responsive to the people that were affected by I know that we put together a pretty good the first day of everybody that was affected, all their emails, and you've done a tremendous job outreach. to that direction. If we can, one person at the city where people. those people can call for whatever concern that they have. forwarded information and text to who I think is appropriate, but there's probably a better person at the city. Although I'm happy to talk to anybody at any time, of course. And the other thing I think, We might want to consider is whether or not we want to form up a task force. Whether either formal, informal, however we want to do it, of one or two city council members, members of the community, experts, as we often access expertise in our own community. to make up that task force and moving forward And, integrating the concerns of the residents that they've been expressed here today with regard to going through the, I don't want to say debris, but things that made it down the hill that might be salvageable. And other issues as Steven Woodside pointed out about whether or not we might want to create a geologic hazard abatement district, whether or not we want to move forward in that. So I think that might be a matter of concern for It might be helpful to do that, so I wanted to. Point those two things out. Thank you. Thank you. |
| 00:41:46.85 | Unknown | Yeah, I would definitely echo both of those comments. It does seem like we need to have one liaison to help provide information and collect information from the county as well about resources that might be available to the residents affected. And to make sure that they get that information as quickly as possible. So I think that's a great idea. I like the task force idea as well. And I think a number of people did raise this issue that we might want to talk about next Tuesday about other potential areas. Just kind of a general feeling of unease given that we do live in a very steep hillside area. So that if we could get some more information next Tuesday, on the other smaller slide and also ways to leverage some of our resources that might be coming in on assessing other potential Areas that we need to take a look at and move forward with. But right now I think the most important thing is council member Hoffman already said is, In addition, Adam, to what you mentioned, stabilizing the hillside and making sure that that's safe, is making sure our residents that were affected get the services and outreach that they need. And that also includes housing, so whatever available resources that we have to make that possible. I think we should assist in whatever way we can. |
| 00:43:11.57 | Unknown | Thank you. Ray, did you have any questions? Do you want to? Yeah. |
| 00:43:20.01 | Ray | Um, Please excuse my raspy voice. I'm trying to get over a head cold. So I think the most important thing that I've been involved Involved in this for the last number of days and talking to people It's very clear in situations like this that you cannot over communicate and I know our staff has done a really good job of of Focusing on what was most important first of all which was life safety and And as we're moving from that phase now, then to truly understand what went on and what is the scale and nature of the problem we face in that. And that's not a discussion for now, that's discussion that will begin next Tuesday, as this will be an important agenda item for us next week. So what we need to do right now, and I fully agree with my fellow council members who've spoken so far, is that Every member of staff is doing a fantastic job. The first responders, our police department, Southern Marin Fire, all the neighboring agencies that have come together. And I'm really pleased that we're already in discussion with Caltrans. to try and understand National Park Service to understand what went on there. But right now, until we get more facts, I think it's premature to start having policy discussions. There's a lot of fact finding that needs to happen here. The immediate then is what we've heard so loud and clearly today, is that this neighborhood needs help. And so I would certainly urge us all to figure out what is it within our powers as a city we can do to help. And if it's initially just to provide all the information and links and phone numbers of people who can give you advice. That would be a great service. So I would urge us, I fully agree with the one point in contact. I mean, I think that's, in any situation like that, I think that is going to aid communication. So. Great, thank you. Joan. |
| 00:45:48.09 | Unknown | Thank you. |
| 00:45:48.12 | Joan | that. |
| 00:45:48.51 | Unknown | Thank you. |
| 00:45:55.47 | Unknown | Thank you. |
| 00:45:56.44 | Joan | I just wanted to call out and specifically acknowledge and thank some of our first responders, Chief Tubbs, Chief Rohrabacher, who were up at three o'clock in the morning out there on site helping people. Dave Bracken, our interim public works director, welcome to Sausalito. |
| 00:46:17.77 | Unknown | Thank you. |
| 00:46:20.03 | Joan | Lieutenant Frost, Mike McKinley, all of the Southern Marin firefighters, all of the Sausalito Police Department. Lauren Umbertis, Andy Davidson, Doug Ryder, Abbott Chambers who has been phenomenal in communicating publicly where we are and where we're going. Southern Marin Fire Battalion Chief Matt Barnes, Lieutenant Stacy Gregory, Mary Wagner, Mike Langford, and of course our City Manager Adam Pollitzer and our Director of Emergency Services. I also want to say thank you to all of the Sausalito residents and the residents of neighboring cities and the County of Marin and the Sausalito Red Cross and the Sausalito Women's Club who have all banded together to help out their neighbors in this time of great need. I think it's one of the things we're most proud about, as Susan mentioned, living here in Sausalito, about how well we rally on behalf of one another and to help one another out as best we can. So I endorse everything my fellow council members said about identifying a point of contact, perhaps creating a task force, and figuring out how best to go from here forward now that we've addressed immediate life safety issues. I would like to see us have on our future agenda at the appropriate time further geologic mapping throughout Sausalito, addressing the issues that people have raised concerns about on Josephine and on the north end of town underneath the apartment building. So thank you to everybody. |
| 00:47:57.40 | Unknown | Thank you, Joan. And thank you, council members, for great remarks. |
| 00:48:01.32 | Jill Hoffman | I have a couple of comments. |
| 00:48:02.15 | Unknown | Oh, go ahead, Jo. |
| 00:48:03.28 | Jill Hoffman | I feel like you're wrapping it up, but I don't want to. I was going to. I just wanted to echo thanks to all the emergency responders and the tremendous effort that I saw that was already in place when I toured the space at, I think, 8 o'clock in the morning, the morning of, I mean, it was already under control. amazing amounts of first responders there. PG&E was on site already working to cap the gas lines. When I went from that space to where they had set up the emergency response center here in Sausalito. Um, That was already fully operational and halfway through addressing the evacuees. And as I spoke with the evacuees, I've heard nothing but positive comments about the the way the city reacted in getting the situation under control very quickly and effectively. I just wanted to call that out. Thank you to everybody that morning who really pitched in, it was, when I came down here to City Hall, It was all hands on deck, and I think from the Parks and Rec Department to our librarian to everybody was fully engaged in assisting the residents. So thank you so much, I appreciate it. |
| 00:49:15.11 | Unknown | Thank you. Again, great comments, and I don't have a lot to add. One little story. When I arrived on the scene around 5, 4, 5, I heard a woman had slid, and her husband and baby had made it out. So Brian and Susan? For a while there, you were much closer than just neighbors. But that's just kind of an example of how information gets going rapid. And you gotta just bring it back a little bit. Um, But I like joking about that a little bit because you guys are neighbors. And what we saw today and what I learned on the day of the event is your little community up there as well and that you all knew each other. And that's a message that we need to take away from this as well. Know your neighbors when something happens. We've been talking about fire. We used to talk about earthquakes. But this week we're talking about landslides. Things happen in communities and knowing your neighbor is really the key, both during and then after at times like this. So a lot of people ask me how can they get involved? Well, get involved by getting to know your neighbor. And another thing, pack a go bag. Brian mentioned that, I actually used that example at a different conference that I think is so important. disasters happen and being prepared, looking around, knowing where you would go in certain situations, having those conversations, packing the bag. Do that. Do that today. do that. All the comments about the first responders echoed. And thank you all so much. And thank you residents that had to go through this and everybody that stepped up. So we appreciate it. We appreciate your input. Like we've said, we're going to have this again as an agenda item on the 26th with some specific topics. And I'm sure it will be on our agenda for the next few months. So keep an eye on us. Come and let us know how you're doing. And we appreciate it. Thank you. Today's, yes. |
| 00:51:12.50 | Joan | today's. Thank you. I was going to make a motion. |
| 00:51:14.82 | Unknown | Yes, today's meeting is about a resolution to ratify the declaration of a local emergency. There's a proclamation that goes along with that, both in staff reports. There should be copies out here. Hopefully everybody knows what we're doing as far as that regard, and I'm willing to |
| 00:51:19.87 | Joan | THE PROCESS. |
| 00:51:29.72 | Unknown | to take a motion. |
| 00:51:31.23 | Joan | I move we adopt a resolution of the City Council of the City of Sausalito ratifying the proclamation of a local emergency related to storm activity and landslides occurring in February 2019. |
| 00:51:41.39 | Unknown | Thank you. |
| 00:51:42.43 | Unknown | Thank you. seems appropriate. Thank you. |
| 00:51:49.57 | Unknown | Councilmember Cox? Yes. Councilmember Hoffman? Yes. Councilmember Withing? Yes. Vice Mayor Cleveland Knowles? |
| 00:51:51.07 | Jill Hoffman | Thank you. |
| 00:51:51.17 | Joan | Yes. |
| 00:51:53.18 | Jill Hoffman | Yes. |
| 00:51:57.59 | Joan | Thank you. |
| 00:51:58.43 | Unknown | Maribyr |
| 00:51:58.97 | Unknown | Yes, that motion passes 5-0. That is all we have today. Thank you again. This meeting is adjourned. |
Rob Cox — In Favor: Supported the resolution, thanked city staff and first responders, and urged proactive measures for landslide-prone areas, referencing a 1996 geotechnical report. ▶ 📄
Susan Gordon — Neutral: Shared personal experience as a survivor, expressed need for counseling and assistance, raised concerns about Caltrans dumping dirt, and requested a meeting and spokesperson for affected residents. ▶ 📄
Melanie — Neutral: Urged pause on short-term rental restrictions to enable emergency housing, highlighted Airbnb's disaster program, and offered expertise in flexible housing. ▶ 📄
Jennifer Nix — Neutral: Offered free short-term shelter, supported revisiting short-term rental policies, and emphasized community support and open-mindedness. ▶ 📄
Zach Garza — Neutral: Thanked council and community, reported red-tagged property, and requested information on tenant rights and assistance with landlord issues. ▶ 📄
Bob — In Favor: Supported the resolution, described water issues and potential sinkhole near his property, and requested proactive city assistance with infrastructure problems. ▶ 📄
Kevin Austin — Neutral: Expressed thanks, raised concerns about safety of the area and tenant rights, and described personal experience and displacement due to the landslide. ▶ 📄
Karin Sachs — Neutral: Thanked first responders, requested information on prior work on the slide area, and asked for involvement in salvage operations to recover personal belongings. ▶ 📄
Brian Wilson — Neutral: Shared escape experience, thanked first responders, highlighted need for assistance with costs and housing, and noted insurance limitations. ▶ 📄
Winston Ashmead — Neutral: Thanked responders, requested assistance for tenants to retrieve property from debris, and expressed support for all affected renters and property owners. ▶ 📄