| Time | Speaker | Text |
|---|---|---|
| 00:00:00.03 | Tom Parrazzo | Little crowd. the usual lapse. Thank you. |
| 00:00:06.95 | Mike Langford | Not often, but loud. |
| 00:00:09.13 | Unknown | you |
| 00:00:10.48 | Mike Langford | And in the world that I knew. |
| 00:00:14.19 | Unknown | Thank you. |
| 00:00:16.43 | Don Carney | I didn't. |
| 00:00:17.45 | Elizabeth Nebat | Thank you. Oh, but... |
| 00:00:29.87 | Heidi Scoble | still working on our streaming. |
| 00:00:36.78 | Heidi Scoble | We're set and I'm going to admit our 4 participants. |
| 00:00:46.84 | Heidi Scoble | Good evening Mayor Cleveland Knowles and council members this meeting is being held pursuant to section 3 of executive order N-29-20 issued by Governor Newsom on March 17, 2020. And all members are joining this meeting telephonically through Zoom and is broadcast live on the city's website and on cable TV channel 27. |
| 00:01:07.53 | Cleveland Knowles | Great, thank you. Welcome everyone to the regular meeting of the Sausalito City Council. It is November 10, 2020. Could our clerk please call the roll? Thank you. |
| 00:01:20.29 | Heidi Scoble | Thank you. |
| 00:01:20.31 | Cleveland Knowles | Thank you. |
| 00:01:20.34 | Heidi Scoble | Council member Hoffman? CARE. Council member Burns. |
| 00:01:24.68 | Joe Burns | Here. |
| 00:01:25.35 | Heidi Scoble | Councilmember Cox. Yeah. |
| 00:01:26.82 | Unknown | Yeah. |
| 00:01:27.46 | Heidi Scoble | Vice Mayor Withey. |
| 00:01:32.49 | Heidi Scoble | Okay, we got a thumbs up. and Mayor Cleveland Knowles. |
| 00:01:37.01 | Ray Withy | here. All members are present and there is |
| 00:01:37.94 | Heidi Scoble | All members are present and there is a... All members are present and there is a quorum. |
| 00:01:45.03 | Cleveland Knowles | Great. The first item on our regular agenda is closed session. We have items D1 through D4 to discuss. If there are members of the public who would like to comment on any of these items, you may do so. You'll have up to three minutes. um, Let's see. I do not see any hands raised. Heidi, would you like to tell folks how they can comment if they would like to? |
| 00:02:18.19 | Heidi Scoble | Yes, at this time members of the public may address the city council regarding all closed session agenda items. Public comments will be accepted by video or audio audience participation via Zoom. Video or audio public comment participation is limited to three minutes per speaker. If you would like to make a comment, please raise your hand in the Zoom application and you'll be called upon when it's your time to speak. To raise your hand from a phone press star nine. Each speaker will be notified when the time has elapsed. and it looks like there is one public commenter |
| 00:02:49.84 | Cleveland Knowles | Great, good evening and welcome Eva, you can comment. |
| 00:02:55.87 | Unknown | Yeah. |
| 00:03:08.84 | Unknown | Eva has been unmuted. |
| 00:03:09.66 | Unknown | music. |
| 00:03:19.70 | Cleveland Knowles | So we are not, unfortunately, not able to hear you. |
| 00:03:26.94 | Unknown | Heidi, okay. Thanks. Can you hear me now? Yes, we can. Thank you. Yes, we can hear you. Is this for general public comment or is this for general public comment or for the closed session? This is for the closed session only. |
| 00:03:35.57 | Cleveland Knowles | Yes. |
| 00:03:45.38 | Unknown | Okay, my apologies. Thank you. I'll get off. Thanks. Okay. |
| 00:03:49.43 | Cleveland Knowles | Thank you. |
| 00:03:49.68 | Unknown | Thank you. |
| 00:03:49.88 | Cleveland Knowles | Thank you. |
| 00:03:49.95 | Unknown | Thank you. |
| 00:03:49.99 | Cleveland Knowles | Thank you. |
| 00:03:50.75 | Unknown | Thank you. |
| 00:03:50.76 | Cleveland Knowles | seeing no other hands raised. So we will go into closed session. We will be back at seven o'clock to start our Regular meat. and we will see you then. |
| 00:04:31.36 | Heidi Scoble | video is up. We're admitting now 31 participants into our meeting. |
| 00:04:38.69 | Heidi Scoble | And we're having some Zoom issues right now, even though our functions are stating that there are no video or audio participations, for whatever reason, there's a zoom glitch. So we're working on removing everyone's video and audio. So if you just bear with us, but you can begin the meeting and we'll work on on that. |
| 00:05:02.28 | Cleveland Knowles | Okay, good evening and welcome back everyone to our regular meeting of the Sausalito City Council on November 10th. We are coming back out of closed session. and we have no closed session announcements. so we'll move on to item 3b on our agenda which is approval of our agenda for this evening there are no comments? Do I have emotions? |
| 00:05:25.60 | Sandra Bushmaker | I'm not. |
| 00:05:28.79 | Cleveland Knowles | Do I have a second? I'll second. Okay, a motion and a second. Heidi, could you please call the roll? |
| 00:05:34.04 | Heidi Scoble | Councilmember Hoffman. Yes. Council Member Burns. |
| 00:05:38.17 | Chris Monroe | Yes. |
| 00:05:38.76 | Heidi Scoble | Council member Cox. Yes. Vice Mayor Withey. |
| 00:05:42.31 | Chris Monroe | Yes. |
| 00:05:43.10 | Heidi Scoble | Mayor Cleveland Knowles. |
| 00:05:44.03 | Cleveland Knowles | Thank you. Yes, that motion carries five zero. Our agenda is approved. We'll move on to special presentations, mayor's announcements. And before I get to the main item today, I did just want to wish everyone Happy Armistice Day, Happy Veterans Day tomorrow. November 11th and hope that we can all take a moment to celebrate and honor our veterans for their patriotism, love of country and willingness to serve and sacrifice for our country. And with that, I will I happily introduce Tricia Smith for our update on cars, which is called A Ride for Sausalito. seniors. So, Tricia, welcome. I see we've got Tom too and Mike Langford here as well. Welcome. Great, good evening. Hi, good evening. We just want to thank you in advance for everything that you have done for us. the city, especially during COVID. I know you're gonna tell us more about all your great work, but welcome and thank you. We're really pleased to have you here tonight. |
| 00:07:01.25 | Unknown | Okay. |
| 00:07:03.63 | Cleveland Knowles | Mike, were you going to go first? |
| 00:07:05.50 | Mike Langford | Sure. Yeah. Well, good evening, Madam Mayor, City Council members. My name is Mike Langford. I'm your Parks and Recreation Director. Um, One of the things as your Park and Recreation Director is I get to be liaison to many community groups and commission. but perhaps one of the most rewarding is the CARS program. Um, over the past, and Trisha will get into this for a few years, it's been so wonderful to see it grow from an idea to something that is now copied not only locally within the county, but throughout the country and with great accolades. from all over. And of course, this couldn't be, wouldn't be possible without the fantastic volunteers. And one of those is our super volunteer, Tricia Smith. who is here tonight to give you an update on the program. So, Tricia. |
| 00:07:56.35 | Tricia Smith | Okay, great. So I just got word that I'm sharing my screen, right? So hopefully this is gonna work, right? |
| 00:08:02.71 | Mike Langford | Thank you. |
| 00:08:02.72 | David Parisi | Yeah. |
| 00:08:05.24 | Tricia Smith | Let's see if that. |
| 00:08:06.35 | David Parisi | Thank you. |
| 00:08:06.37 | Tricia Smith | Can you see that? |
| 00:08:06.65 | David Parisi | Did you hear that? |
| 00:08:07.89 | Tricia Smith | Yay! Miracle. Okay. Wonderful. Thank you so much. We are really excited about everything that's been happening for this year. It was a wild, it's been a wild year. CARS is a city of Sausalito age-friendly program. I never want to forget that. It's managed by Sausalito Village, but it's important to remember it is a city program. Whoops, I'm trying to change it. So why did we start CARS? Well, it actually came out of the age-friendly Sausalito task force because we did a survey and had an incredible response. And of course, what were the most important things to seniors as they age? Their biggest priorities were transportation and housing. And transportation, if you think about it, if you're not able to drive or even walk down into town or navigate the hills any longer, it really increases the isolation. And we don't want people driving if they don't feel safe any longer. And anyway, so the idea of this volunteer transportation program came up. And it really did surpass our hopes of creating these intergenerational friendships and much more. So, Here we're going to have the program. The city council agreed to it. But how are we going to run this program? It's a city program. And it was just natural to partner with Sausalito Village. Part of the reason was most of the people that were on the Age-Friendly Task Force were also on the board of Sausalito Village and had already been running a volunteer transportation program for over five years. We already had volunteer drivers, knew how to get them vetted and trained. And the beauty of now having cars being managed by the village is that people who come in as drivers through either program automatically are eligible to drive for both programs. So the partnership also allows this cross education about the program. So if you're driving somebody on cars who says, hey, I need transportation to a medical appointment. in Marin someplace else, then it's they can tell them about Sausalito Village. And then the most important is all the built-in administration hours. So we're volunteers at Sausalito Village. and as administrator and And So it's a lot of hours that we put in, it works well to have the two. So I'm going to talk a little bit about pre-COVID because I want to make sure that people who don't know about cars understand how it will again work one day. So, CARS is a volunteer transportation program. Rides are available Monday through Friday between the hours of 10 and 2, and really for any reason. And this is very unique about the program. This is not about medical appointments or just groceries. This is get your nails done, you know, just get a ride from your house in the hill down to the flats to take a walk, whatever you wanna do, as long as it's within those hours and in the geographic area. of Sausalito, the floating homes, Manzanita to Cavallo. Just think they're not getting on the highway is basically what it is. So, The other interesting thing about this is that you can either reserve a ride up to a week in advance or you can call the driver on duty during the shift. And that, again, is very unique. It's a free program. for anybody 60 and older or younger with a disability. We did not understand how unique the program was until we talked to a national, somebody had called from National Center of Volunteer Transportation. And it's unique because it's free and it's volunteer drivers and it's shift work, but it's also mostly because you can either reserve your ride ahead of time or do it as a same day ride. and That's like the best of both worlds for folks. So this unique program got a lot of accolades, both in the IJ, but also in the Washington Post. So that was pretty cool. It was age friendly. Sausalito was recognized for the call ride for Sausalito Seniors Program. Anyway, so the rides, back when we were providing rides, we averaged about 165 rides a month. And we had also included, you know, because they changed each month based on, we did some evening programs as well. We did the library programs, we provided rides. So we've had about almost 50 volunteers for the program since May, 2015. 24 of the drivers have been with us since the start and Those drivers, the people who leave the program, some age out, they're not comfortable driving any longer, they don't feel safe driving, some move. And some have jobs. And if you look right there, there's Joe Burns. You know, he was one of our volunteers who had a job. you know, with city council and hopefully now we're going to get Joe back again. So that'll be great. So altogether between, from the beginning of May 2015 to March 2020, when we stopped providing rides, we That accounts for 17,696 driving hours. That's not all of the volunteer hours that went into cars, but that's for the driving hours. pretty remarkable. So now let's talk about what happened in March when shelter in place came in. You know, that week we still had reservations. We had reservations for going to the pharmacy to pick up medications and going to pick up groceries. So right away we turned into a an errand service, and we made sure that those things were taken care of for that week. So we do shopping for groceries, picking up of medications, picking up takeout food. And in August, when the library books started again, we pick up library books. But we had a real problem on our hands because most of our volunteers were 60 and older, retired folks. So we needed younger volunteers immediately. And I want to be a big throwout to Deborah, who was Mike Langford's wife, who stepped in. And Tom Riley immediately came to our aid. He was on city council. I want to also introduce you to Christina Christina Wallander who's on the left side of the screen. And she had started with us in January because she was on sabbatical from her job. And she became our tech guru. She is the reason that we're up on Zoom and we were up on Zoom so quickly, got all of the events going on Zoom with the village And on the right is Nick and his mom, is actually was my old boss at a nonprofit that I worked at. And she lives in Mill Valley and saw the Marin IJ article. And her son, you know, was off from school at that point. So they started doing the weekly trips to Trader Joe's and Safeway and still do that to this day. So big accolades to them. Um, But it was really important once we made sure that people were getting food and their medications, then it was all about isolation. We wanted to keep people from being isolated. And this is where it was really important to bring our volunteers who had been with us for so many years. but weren't able to go into the stores and pharmacies to still be able to be active. So phone calls were made. Snail mail tips of the day, little newsletters were delivered to doors of snail mailers. Tech assistance was a big one, getting everybody up on Zoom, FaceTime. online shopping, teaching people how to online shop. A lot of people didn't want us to shop for them. They wanted to learn how to be able to get it on their own. And this mental health door hangers, you know, a project that we did with the city and the police department. And we had 50 volunteers, CARS volunteers, that all worked on one day and blanketed the city by walking and hanging 4,500 residences, you know, door hangers. So that was pretty amazing. So we've been working hard. We've been merging with the village events. All of the village events are open to everybody now in the community. So please check the calendar, but we make sure that the cars folks, you know, know about what's going on. they can engage in all of that. And if you don't get the Sausalito Village Tips of the Day, I should sign up for them. We now have about 550 emails that we send to, and it's just every day, this curated, fun and interesting things to do. And a shout out to Deborah Fallon, who thought she was gonna be doing that, from March, we figured maybe to the end of May, And now we understand what's really happening. So next part was keeping seniors safe. We had volunteers that were frantically sewing fabric masks when you couldn't get anything. You couldn't even get elastic or fabric. We delivered over 150 of them. Sausalito Village bought KN95 masks and offered them to Sausalito Village in cars. Delivered emergency go bags that the village offered. did a big mass purchase and then we delivered this great guide it's available online if you don't have one it's available at the library but it's the city's Sausalito disaster guide which is a wonderful I'm not sure. guide for all the information about any type of emergency that could happen. And coming soon, we're going to be doing the food boxes. And this is kudos to age-friendly Sausalito, who has been taking care of this to make sure that emergency, this is emergency food that will be put away for folks in an emergency will be going being delivered to low-income seniors in town. And then keeping seniors fit. you know, there's a lot of food that's going and being delivered. and CARS volunteers are out there doing that. Um, Big kudos to everybody. The Age-Friendly No Senior Left Behind program that Davy Jones has been doing. The Great Plates Delivery Program. We're delivering for Spinnaker, who provides three meals a day through this Great Plates program. So we're doing that five times a week. I'm not sure. Anyway, a lot going on. We also did for voting, we wanted to be available. We had a couple of drivers that were to drive that day because otherwise we haven't been driving. And this is also was a time for us to pick up ballots. We offered to pick up ballots for people to take them to the Prince Hill City ballot box. So errands by the numbers. First of all, I have to say I am so sorry that I did not get I got, you know, I'm always in such a rush to do things and I wanted to get this to Mike and I got it to him before the September and October numbers went in and they are huge. The September errands were 408 errands, and the October errands were 479 errands. So that brings us to a total of, I don't know, something like 1,900. over 1900, almost 2000 errands that have been provided to our residents since March, since the shelter in place. And that's all thanks to the incredible volunteers that we have. But it's not going to stop. We have set up with one of local restaurants. |
| 00:19:57.11 | Unknown | Thank you. |
| 00:19:57.13 | Cleveland Knowles | Yeah. |
| 00:19:57.28 | Unknown | Thank you. |
| 00:20:02.22 | Tricia Smith | uh, to do with Thanksgiving turkey dinner that will be delivered. And this is one that people will pay for, but it's gonna be a very reasonable price available to seniors in town. and we will be delivering that on Thanksgiving. We're gonna be doing another restaurant and another type of meal for a Christmas holiday. And along with that will be a porch visit. If people just, you know, some people will just want it dropped at their doors and others it's, you know, having a little visit with one of the volunteers. We're also having a couple of parties, holiday songs on December 21st, and then a big Zoom party with lots of games and raffle prizes on the 23rd. And these things are advertised in our tips of the day, but they're also available on the village website. We've been keeping up the village website. It's hard for us to keep up the cars as well. So any of the event stuff goes on the Village website. So cars, what does it cost to run cars? It costs about $21,000 a year. And this is mostly for part-time. I mean, this is so invaluable. We are so lucky. We have had the same great manager of this program since day one. She's been with us. She also is the concierge for the village. And since the programs overlap so much and the riders and the volunteers overlap so much, it's important to have the same person doing this. Sausalito Village pays for the Sausalito Village one and the city for the cars park. and Anyway, we share the fees for the websites and we share the fees for the the criminal and background checks that we do on every volunteer. So I say that the cost per ride is priceless. because of all of these friendships that have come together. And anyway, I want you to find more information. If you want to get an application to either ride or drive, you go to the website here. www.cars4u.org or phone 415-944-5474. And, That's it, I'm gonna stop sharing. I was sticking to my 10 minutes. Thank you. |
| 00:22:17.09 | Cleveland Knowles | Thank you. |
| 00:22:17.29 | Tricia Smith | Yes. |
| 00:22:17.56 | Cleveland Knowles | I think. |
| 00:22:17.78 | Tricia Smith | Thank you. those days. If anybody really wants to hear what I said, they're going to have to take the recording and put it in slow motion. |
| 00:22:26.29 | Mike Langford | that's true so i would like and uh... I'd like to add something else that This year, when COVID hit. and we knew that the budget would be tight. Trisha and I spoke and she said, you know what, I think we can get some funding for this from donations. because the city had been supporting this for the past few years once the original grant ran out. And not only did Tricia and the rest of the people helping out with cars, get enough money to We are going to fund the program this year based on but there's a little bit extra to seed money. for the following years. Whereas in the past, this was a city funded program. This year, it's 100% donation driven. So that's a big help to the budget and to our sus leader residents. |
| 00:23:21.31 | Cleveland Knowles | Great, thank you. Thank you, Mike. Thank you so much, Tricia. We are so lucky to have this program in our town, especially during COVID, you were the lifeline for so many people. I just can't thank you. |
| 00:23:34.76 | Unknown | I'm |
| 00:23:37.16 | Cleveland Knowles | enough, I'm sure on behalf of the whole council for the incredible work that you did, the daily email, you know, that just drops into people's. |
| 00:23:44.86 | Unknown | Mm-hmm. |
| 00:23:45.23 | Cleveland Knowles | boxes every single day, letting folks know that there's Good news out there, there's lots to do. Anyway, absolutely amazing job. Um, adapting and being so flexible and just. really staying up and running and, um, and providing so much for so many people. So we can't thank you enough. Are there other comments or questions from council members before I open it up to public comment? Thank you. |
| 00:24:11.80 | Joan Cox | Yeah. I also just want to let Trisha know we received scads of mail this afternoon, endorsing, supporting, cheering on cars, urging us to provide whatever funding you may need from the city's coffers. Although I'm relieved that Mike is letting us know that you continue to be self-sustaining, but I just want you to know there's such widespread community support and appreciation for what you do. So thank, and that goes for us as well. Thank you so much. |
| 00:24:41.27 | Cleveland Knowles | I see lots of folks here probably in support tonight so everybody can |
| 00:24:41.49 | Joan Cox | anyone that |
| 00:24:46.68 | Cleveland Knowles | put up their applause. You're here to support CARS and South Ledo Village. Anyone else? |
| 00:24:54.72 | Unknown | Thank you. |
| 00:24:54.97 | Ray Withey | Thank you. |
| 00:25:01.27 | Cleveland Knowles | Seeing lots of hands, right? |
| 00:25:03.07 | Ray Withey | Yeah, thank you, Madam Mayor. Trish, thank you for that presentation. I wanted to simply I'm not sure. re-emphasize or emphasize something that I think Trish was a little modest about, which was the recognition that we've received Um, You don't get into the Washington Post for doing nothing, first of all. But secondly... And I've had the really good fortune of, in the various liaison roles I've had, of talking to and interacting with not only politicians, city council members from Marin, but also around the whole of the Bay Area. Just literally, it was admittedly, the beginning of this year, pre-COVID, I had a council member, I can't remember what, thing it was in connection with from Costa, I always pronounce this wrong, CCC. Contra Costa County. who came up to me and said, oh, hi, Ray. and said, hey, I'm really interested in your age-friendly program. In particular, I've heard about cars and they knew it. |
| 00:26:22.89 | Alyssa Hambrick | Mm-hmm. |
| 00:26:23.33 | Ray Withey | they all know it in the whole of the Bay Area. And of course, through some channels nationwide. That's really important and it shows I think the great I've always said one of the source leaders greatest sources of competitive advantage is our volunteers. And there's nothing, nothing that sort of illuminates that more than this program. So thank you for everybody who's involved. |
| 00:26:56.44 | Joe Burns | Great. I'll just make, I thought Ray was raising his hand to get a ride tonight, but I'll just make a quick plug. It's great to drive because the people you drive are so fantastic. And I just love the, I'm going to say ladies, because there's only been a few men, but the ladies that I've gotten to know through this and in kind of on a consistent schedule. So I look forward to getting back to it as well, Trisha, because I miss my friends and it's a, they're a fun group to drive around and I look forward to it. So thank you for your work, Trisha. And thank you for all the work of all the group that's here tonight. |
| 00:27:29.56 | Cleveland Knowles | Great, okay, with that, I will open it up. I see we have one person for public comment. This is on the CARS presentation. Anita, welcome. |
| 00:27:44.04 | Anita Renzetti | Hi, I actually raised my hand because there's not a chat feature, but I wanted to just ask if I could add my last name, if we would have the ability to rename ourselves, because I just had my first name. But having said that, there was a wonderful video about cars that is online that could probably be shared. Tricia, we just love that. because I used to work at Whistle Stop and they have their own transportation program. But I think you go the extra mile and a lot of those extra touches like errands and everything make a world of difference when seniors are isolated. So thank you. |
| 00:28:19.09 | Cleveland Knowles | Thank you. |
| 00:28:19.12 | Anita Renzetti | No. |
| 00:28:19.21 | Cleveland Knowles | I need to... |
| 00:28:19.83 | Anita Renzetti | What is your last name? I'm Renzetti, R-E-N. Z-E-T-T-I And I'm actually here to listen in about the cannabis proposal. Great, thank you. Thank you. |
| 00:28:33.45 | Cleveland Knowles | Okay, are there any other public comment for the CARS program? Marco Antonio? |
| 00:28:44.39 | Marco | Hi. I'm not sure. My name is Marco and I'm 22. And over the summer, I had the wonderful opportunity of actually driving for the Cars Food Delivery Program. And, I just wanted to say that I had a fantastic time. Everybody was very polite. Everybody treated you with respect. And if anybody, Listening now is thinking about doing it. I highly recommend it. I had to stop because I had to go back to I finished my last year of college. really truly it was a fabulous time. I met some wonderful people and I cannot recommend it enough. My aunt, is a quadriplegic. And so we've had to work with Whistle Stop as well for her to get her around and to come visit all of us. She lives in Fairfax. And... The difference in the quality and the compassion and the treatment of every person that I've seen including the drivers, is just unparalleled. I really just want to say thank you. |
| 00:29:53.52 | Cleveland Knowles | Thank you. |
| 00:29:53.54 | Tricia Smith | to get the information. |
| 00:29:53.61 | Cleveland Knowles | Thank you. |
| 00:29:53.66 | Tricia Smith | Thank you. |
| 00:29:53.66 | Marco | Thank you. |
| 00:29:53.91 | Cleveland Knowles | We miss you. |
| 00:29:55.85 | Marco | I hope to come back |
| 00:29:58.21 | Cleveland Knowles | Good. Thank you, Marco. Thank you for that. Sybil Boutillier, welcome. |
| 00:30:08.85 | Sybil Boutillier | Good evening. I just want to say, add my kudos to Tricia, when we first envision this program, the original age friendly team We thought it would be a good program for the city so many comments and such obvious needs about transportation challenges in our community. But, What Tricia has done as the leader of this program, along with Connie, is just exceeded everybody's expectations and hopes. and has provided as everyone here I think knows a just extraordinary resource. And I know that the Moran Transportation Authority is very jealous of this program Um, In certain talks they said, well, we tried to do a volunteer driver program, but it costs us 10 times as much as it costs South Salido Age Family. How come? Why can't we do that? And the answer is incredible leadership and just terrific volunteers that hang in there and Um, you know, are just so happy to give this service. And we all make so many friends in the process of driving around uh, people that we may not have met before. who are now bringing them through errands and deliveries. So I just wanna thank Tricia And Connie. and all the volunteers for making this just such an exceptional program It's like this. the banner program. for age friendly and certainly A wonderful thing for the community. Thank you. |
| 00:32:06.70 | Cleveland Knowles | Great, thank you. All right. Well, what a great way to start off our Tuesday night. Thank you so much for your time, um, for being here with us, uh, Mike and Tricia. We really appreciate it. And, uh, We will move on to general public comment. So thank you so much. |
| 00:32:29.43 | Cleveland Knowles | All right, next on our agenda is general public comment. This is a time for members of the public to comment on items that were within our jurisdiction, but not on our agenda tonight. We will have up to three minutes. And I see Eva. then Jennifer Conway and Lauren Alexander. |
| 00:32:50.83 | Eva iPhone | Thank you. |
| 00:32:54.39 | Eva iPhone | Hi there. Can you hear me? |
| 00:32:56.18 | Cleveland Knowles | Bye. |
| 00:32:56.46 | Eva iPhone | We can. Great. you Um, Thank you. Yeah, I wanted to follow up on an email I have from Heidi Scoble on, I believe, September 23rd regarding her desire to put an FPPC link onto the city website. I checked the transparency page and there is no FPPC website. I want to encourage you to do what the city of Mill Valley did at my suggestion, which is to take. the form 700s of each of the city council members and make them available through the website so that we don't have to go through the FPPC website because that breaks down a lot. It's not always working and it's sometimes hard to access if you're using an iPhone. It's important for us to know, what holdings City Council members have. And last time I checked, on September 23rd when I was able to get into the FPPC website, I noticed that there were a lot of energy stocks held by some of the council members. Noticeably, Ms. Cleveland Knowles and Mr. Withy It's interesting to me at a time when we're discussing things like a Green New Deal on the and when we're facing enormous fires, and when we see incredible malfeasance in human rights violations, by companies like Chevron, which are based right across the bay in San Ramon, which are responsible for the literally the largest oil-related environmental disaster in the entire history of the world. that we're going to be doing. it's remarkable to me that anyone is still holding oil and gas stocks. The other issue is why they're not making that information available to the people of Sausalito so they know what conflict of interest may arise. So I want to make sure that Heidi has an opportunity to follow up on that. And I'd also like to make the obvious suggestion, which everybody should be asking you to do, which is to divest now in those very problematic it's the right time to do it and people will be understanding if you do it now. I think if you continue to serve on the board and talk about environmental issues, while you're still holding state. or Schlumberger or something like that. it becomes problematic. So hopefully both on the transparency issue, And on the matter of divestment, you guys can get on it. I would further suggest at least one city in the Bay Area has banned any contracts with Chevron because of the seriousness and human rights violations that the company has committed not only abroad, but here in the Bay Area. that may be a good thing for the city of Sausalito to do too, to ban contracts with Chevron and Chevron's contractors. |
| 00:35:58.83 | Heidi Scoble | Your three minute time has elapsed. |
| 00:35:59.56 | Cleveland Knowles | Thank you. Okay, thank you, Jennifer Conway. |
| 00:36:09.30 | Cleveland Knowles | Thank you. |
| 00:36:09.31 | Unknown | Welcome. Hello, council members. Thank you for having us this evening. I am just here to draw attention to the letter that was sent from the active allies of Sausalito coordinating committee about the thin blue line stickers. Um, I, You know, I recognize that those stickers have different meanings to different people, but in especially in light of the times that we're in and THEIR HIGHER. Being here, the I guess it was a week ago this past Sunday when 300 plus Trump supporters came in with the flags and many of them, this thin blue line flag. I have to say that it strikes a chord of of terror and fear. |
| 00:36:46.17 | Unknown | that are from the beginning. |
| 00:36:54.28 | Unknown | It's, in myself. And if it's doing that for me, exponentially more terrifying to my community members here in Brent City and So, hoping that we'll be able to take some action remove those stickers from any of the sausalito pd cars And I just wanted to say, Um, really, really hope you all are able to help us address that here in the very near future. So thank you. |
| 00:37:24.91 | Cleveland Knowles | Great, thank you. Lauren Alexander, welcome. |
| 00:37:33.64 | Lauren Alexander | Hi, thanks so much. So my name is Lauren Alexander and I'm happy to be here tonight as a member of the Active Allies of Sausalito Coordinating Committee who submitted the letter about the Thin Blue Line stickers. And just like Jennifer, I wanted to address this issue here with you tonight and express the strong desire that these stickers be removed from Sausalito police vehicles. There is community support behind the removal of these stickers from the vehicles. We circulated a letter among the active allies group um and in our networks uh and submitted it to the council we've received 67 signatures of support to date they keep coming in as the days go by we feel that the display of these stickers on sausalito police vehicles undermines our shared interest in creating an inclusive and anti-racist sausalito a city that realizes that it's not simply intentions that matter, but that impact counts as well. I personally work as a middle school counselor and I always encourage my students to watch what people do, not just what they say. And I feel that the Thin Blue Line stickers offer our community an opportunity to see what the council chooses to do about this issue. So I appreciate the time tonight and I look forward to seeing what actions will be taken to address the Thin Blue Line stickers. So thanks so much. |
| 00:38:52.53 | Cleveland Knowles | Great, thank you, Lauren. Alice Merrill, welcome. |
| 00:39:02.91 | Alice Merrill | Hi, I'm talking tonight about the letter that Karla Berg's lawyer, I believe sent to the court. to you about the housing and the marineship. And, um, I have just a little story. When I lived in a little town called Mukilteo in Washington who considered themselves the sauce lead over the Northwest, which I thought was Very sweet. Um There was a street there that was always, um, always in contention to be made to be a higher speed limit. It was through the back of the town and it was, It was the town, it was in this town, funny little town, strange configuration. There's nothing quite like it here, but there were forces that came. Every six months or so they came and said, you need to raise the speed limit on this road because we need to get from this little town to the bigger town faster. |
| 00:40:01.36 | Ray Withy | Thanks. |
| 00:40:08.68 | Alice Merrill | And the citizens had to come out every single time and say, This is where we live. This is where cats live. This is where kids live. This is where kids wait for the bus for school. ride their bicycles. We don't need it to be faster here. We need it to just stay what it is. It's safe. It's good for us. We're people who live in this town. I feel that way about about the Marin ship and people wanting to, the owners of the property in the Marin ship, which they know what they were buying. or they've known about it for a long time, are just eating away and pushing, pushing, pushing. to get you guys to let them build housing. And then the citizens have to come back and say, No, it's a special place. It's what it is for. a long time and it still has tons and tons of value as it is. And we have to keep coming back. And I wish that you all would look at it as something that's not so much of an opportunity for I think it's a great question. keep it in this special, wonderful, unique place that it is. Thank you. |
| 00:41:31.37 | Cleveland Knowles | Thank you. Great, thank you, Alice. Sandra Bushmaker and then I do not see any additional hands raised. So if you'd like to comment, please raise your hand. Welcome, Sandra. |
| 00:41:47.17 | Cleveland Knowles | We can't hear you, so... We still cannot hear you. |
| 00:41:56.60 | Sandra Bushmaker | OK. |
| 00:41:56.67 | Cleveland Knowles | Thank you. |
| 00:41:56.74 | Unknown | Okay. |
| 00:41:56.97 | Cleveland Knowles | Thank you. |
| 00:41:57.68 | Sandra Bushmaker | Good evening, everybody. |
| 00:41:57.83 | Ray Withy | Thank you. |
| 00:41:59.89 | Sandra Bushmaker | Are we a go here? Yeah. All right. I just want to speak also about the bird letter. It seems every few meetings we get a letter from Mr. Berg and his holdings counsel. to try another way, another short circuit, to get what he wants in the Marin ship. Now, we have not seen a proposal from Mr. Berg And I would suggest rather than any kind of special treatment that he get his project prepared and placed in in the line at the at the planning department And that, uh, these efforts to pave the way before he submits his project are just inappropriate. They are a short circuit around our general plan, our zoning ordinance, our planning commission, And frankly, he's coming directly to the council to ask for special favors. And I don't think that's fair for the residents of Sausalito, or for our town. town's general well-being. So I would request that that RECOMMENDATION. request B. placed in line with all the other projects that we have in Sausalito. Thank you. Great, thank you. |
| 00:43:17.03 | Cleveland Knowles | Gallagher. |
| 00:43:21.65 | Cleveland Knowles | Welcome. |
| 00:43:22.12 | Morgan Gallagher | Thank you. |
| 00:43:26.36 | Morgan Gallagher | Good evening, council members. Morgan Gallagher with Cox Gas on Nicholson speaking on behalf of Berg Holdings. I submitted a letter yesterday about their proposal to help the city meet its arena mandates. As we noted in the letter, California's housing element law requires cities to designate and maintain sites for housing that are suitable, feasible, and available to meet rena mandates. The city has to plan for those specific locations now, and otherwise it won't be in a position to meet its rate of requirements in the future. Holdings has consistently proposed a realistic, legally defensible plan that would help the city make significant progress toward its arena goals. without displacing any maritime industrial or art uses. It involves allowing limited affordable and senior housing in the rent ship where appropriate in the discretion of the city through a use permit, as long as it does not displace the senior times industrial uses. We're not proposing a specific project now. The proposal would come in the future. and, um, and would be analyzed as appropriate under CEQA would come before city council. There's nothing that... is bypassing the city council or planning commission at all. in this proposal. We're just proposing language to be considered to be included. them that limited affordable and senior housing could be considered in the future if and where it was appropriate. The proposal would require minor edits to the general plan update, but only a plan level analysis, because as I mentioned, a future proposal would be project specific and would be analyzed. under CEQA as required when it's proposed. we seriously urge the city to consider Colby's proposal. Thank you. |
| 00:45:10.49 | Cleveland Knowles | All right, thank you. Carlo Berg? |
| 00:45:29.53 | Cleveland Knowles | So we cannot hear you. I'm not sure if you can Heidi, can you make sure that Karlo is unmuted? |
| 00:45:38.57 | Heidi Scoble | Yes, Carlo has been unmuted. |
| 00:45:39.30 | Cleveland Knowles | has been. |
| 00:45:39.70 | Carlito Berg | Amen. |
| 00:45:39.91 | Cleveland Knowles | you |
| 00:45:39.99 | Carlito Berg | Thank you. |
| 00:45:40.01 | Cleveland Knowles | to be able to get the |
| 00:45:43.45 | Carlito Berg | Can you guys hear me? |
| 00:45:45.02 | Heidi Scoble | Thank you. |
| 00:45:45.04 | Ray Withy | Yep. |
| 00:45:45.29 | Cleveland Knowles | Thank you. |
| 00:45:46.28 | Ray Withy | Bye. |
| 00:45:46.57 | Cleveland Knowles | Thank you. |
| 00:45:46.69 | Carlito Berg | Okay, great. It says I have a failure to start the camera. Heidi, I don't know if you can... So, |
| 00:45:52.99 | Cleveland Knowles | So, Carlo, your time is ticking right now, so if you, just so you know. |
| 00:45:53.54 | Carlito Berg | your time is taking |
| 00:45:58.66 | Carlito Berg | Okay, well, it's not letting me start. It says failure to start video camera, that. You know, I'd, Oh, well, here we go. Maybe this is gone. No, it just still says failure. I apologize. I don't know why my camera's not working. I'm not sure. Firstly, you know, I really appreciate Sandra's. and that we're going to be able to analysis comments and I'm available to have my cell phone number to talk anytime. The reason why we've proposed what we've proposed from a high level perspective and adjusting Sanders point directly is because there is no pathway to propose anything. right now. So it would not even be possible for us to propose anything. whether or not it was specific because there's no real, pathway to do that right now. Um, You know, many of you are lawyers and I'm not a lawyer. I can't really add much to the legal conversation that our attorney has already had. gone over. But what I hope to add some value is making scalable senior housing a reality in Sausalito. Sausalito is an age-friendly city. IT HAS 50% OF THE people over 50 with only 38 units of senior housing. And read or not, whether that's 740 units, 500 units, 300, 200 or whatever, Um, IF YOU WANT TO BE ABLE adequate feasible sites aren't that's going to be a little bit. AREN'T ABLE TO EVEN BE CONSIDERED then the net result of that is that people will have to leave Sausalito for other places. and I think As Trisha pointed out, the two things that seniors are most important to seniors are housing and transportation. an innovative community supports all of It supports senior transportation, social and mental health, that And among other things, BYU had recently come out with a study looking, a macro study looking at 3 million seniors and found that social isolation was equivalent to being morbidly obese or smoking a pack of cigarettes a day in terms of life expectancy. And if we look at the existing quantifiable demographics of the town, which I've already provided. I'm not sure. you can see that there's a need larger then even renal requirements. May. may lead us to. And again, regardless of RENA, given that the city is already looking at public institutional sites which are not zoned for residential currently and would already require a change of use This is just in addition to that and making that language a real possibility. And, All that I've ever tried to do is make everything a possibility. to consider in the future. in terms of feasible, legal, defensible sites. that I can be helpful on. So You know, folks can say whatever they want. |
| 00:48:39.39 | Unknown | Thank you. |
| 00:48:41.99 | Carlito Berg | and I'm ready to talk with them at any time. If they want to reach out, they'll have my personal number. It's on every single comment I submit. Haven't heard from them. That's all I'd like to say. I really think strong senior community is possible. And without some direct action, it may not be. Thank you. |
| 00:49:00.55 | Cleveland Knowles | Okay. Thank you. Craig Merrilles. And then we'll wrap up general public comment. Welcome, Craig. You are muted, I think. |
| 00:49:17.34 | Craig Merrilles | Hi, we got audio. |
| 00:49:18.93 | Cleveland Knowles | Yes, we do. |
| 00:49:19.52 | Craig Merrilles | Great. Thank you very much. Madam Mayor and members of the council Um, Here it is, another council meeting. And once again, Mr. Berg is coming, asking for favors, asking, trying to influence the council. That's his job. That's what developers do. But, There are The letter is chock full of problems and inconsistencies. Among those include this assertion that Sausalito desperately needs senior housing when in fact the Most recent survey, when we asked seniors what they wanted and what residents in Sausalito wanted, they did not cite the kind of senior housing that Mr. Berg is trying to develop. Instead, they said they wanted to remain in place with support services which we can add is a much more efficient way to provide the kind of housing that seniors are looking for. So, That assertion just doesn't hold water based on the research that the city did Admittedly, more research could be done, but the research we have points in a very different direction than what Mr. Berg is raising. And really, even if we did want senior housing in the city, the marineship is just the poorest place to put it. It's got too many problems. It's got inherent conflicts with residential and these industrial uses that threaten and have a proven record in location after location around the United States of displacing industrial uses and artists that are there now. And the council needs to look very carefully at this and not be and have our arms twisted, by high priced attorneys and folks that are trying to influence the process in order to make huge windfall profits in the Marin ship land that they've been holding and speculating in. I'm sorry. Thank you very much. |
| 00:51:13.27 | Cleveland Knowles | Great, thank you. All right, John DeRay. And then I see no additional speakers. So please raise your hand now if you have any help. John, welcome. |
| 00:51:25.09 | John DeRay | Thank you, Mayor. Can you hear me? |
| 00:51:27.40 | Cleveland Knowles | Yes. |
| 00:51:28.53 | John DeRay | I wanted to comment about what the attorney mentioned about this potential project not displacing maritime industrial or artists. Well, yes, that's true. But the reason for that is because that has not been allowed. TO HAPPEN IN THAT PROPERTY for a long time. Those uses have not been allowed to move in there. Gary Testa, to try to move engineered fluids in there about a year and a half ago when he was looking for a place in What happened was the leasing agent quoted him Um, office space rental rate, which was nearly three times industrial space rent, rental rate. So it just didn't make sense. Um, and also as we know, as we discovered when we, uh, went through the general plan process, the Marineship specific plan and the zoning code requires these properties, even the grandfathered ones, when tenants leave is supposed to turn back into compliance in the Marineship specific plan. So, That's not happened because there's been no enforcement for 30 years. But as those properties have, as those leases have turned and new tenants have come in, those new tenants were required to comply with the Marineship specific plan guidelines of uses and ratios of commercial and industrial, et cetera. That's never happened because there's been no enforcement. So I just wanted to clear that up because you keep hearing that narrative and there's way more to it. Thank you very much, Mayor. |
| 00:53:09.61 | Cleveland Knowles | Okay, thank you. All right, we are seeing no additional hands raised. We are gonna close public comment. I did just want to note, for the folks that commented about the Thin Blue Line stickers that The chief has committed to removing those and we'll be working on a plan to do that. We'll be hearing about that more next week. um, And with that, we will move on to our next item on the agenda. which is our action minutes from our previous meetings, October 27th and October 29th. Are there any comments or emotions? Yes. |
| 00:53:53.26 | Joan Cox | show. Mayor, on page eight of the October 27 minutes, There are some typos on line 24. I think it should simply say an update on the racial justice items that were discussed. There are a number of extraneous Uh, letters and words within that line. |
| 00:54:19.94 | Cleveland Knowles | Okay, thank you. Any additional |
| 00:54:23.55 | Joan Cox | Corrections. Those were my only. comments. or emotion. I move approval of the action minutes. of |
| 00:54:35.05 | Joan Cox | for that. So, |
| 00:54:36.28 | Cleveland Knowles | September 27th and 2019. |
| 00:54:38.24 | Joan Cox | Thank you. October 27 and 29 2020 as amended. |
| 00:54:44.33 | Cleveland Knowles | We'll be back. Great, there's a motion and a second. |
| 00:54:49.04 | Heidi Scoble | please call me. |
| 00:54:49.44 | Cleveland Knowles | Well, |
| 00:54:49.74 | Heidi Scoble | Thank you. Councilmember Hoffman. |
| 00:54:51.72 | Cleveland Knowles | Thank you. |
| 00:54:51.74 | Heidi Scoble | Yes. Councilmember Burns. |
| 00:54:53.98 | Joan Cox | Yes. |
| 00:54:54.62 | Heidi Scoble | Councilmember Cox. Yeah. Vice Mayor Withey. |
| 00:54:57.83 | Joan Cox | Thank you. |
| 00:54:57.88 | Heidi Scoble | Yes. Mayor Cleveland Knowles. |
| 00:55:00.04 | Cleveland Knowles | Yes. Thank you that motion carries five zero. We'll move on to item number four, which is council member committee reports. Are there committee reports this evening? John? Thank you. |
| 00:55:15.39 | Joan Cox | Thank you. |
| 00:55:15.41 | Cleveland Knowles | Sure. I'm not. |
| 00:55:16.83 | Joan Cox | Thank you. Uh, Councilmember Hoffman and I have attended Waterfront Committee meeting as well as a meeting with BCDC I never remember the acronym BAE. conservation |
| 00:55:36.47 | Cleveland Knowles | and go. |
| 00:55:36.71 | Joan Cox | Thank you. |
| 00:55:36.74 | Cleveland Knowles | Thank you. |
| 00:55:36.76 | Joan Cox | Thank you. |
| 00:55:36.78 | Cleveland Knowles | THE END OF THE END OF THE |
| 00:55:36.86 | Joan Cox | Development Corporation. Development Commission or Corporation. |
| 00:55:36.89 | Cleveland Knowles | That's right. |
| 00:55:41.08 | Joan Cox | um regarding the um enforcement efforts on richardson's bay and this is something i reported about in our october uh 27 meeting we didn't attend an enforcement committee meeting which urged us to continue on our current path but stated that they would like to enter into an agreement between the city of Sausalito and BCDC, memorializing that agreement. We received draft points |
| 00:56:07.07 | Jasmine Garrity | Alito. |
| 00:56:14.78 | Joan Cox | yesterday regarding the terms of that agreement, which include continuing the waterfront management plan that we have been undertaking successfully for the last three years, as well as the waterfront management cooperation and commitment to address broader issues in Richardson's Bay, eelgrass restoration and monthly reporting. We will be bringing a full report to the council next Tuesday for approval, but I wanted to give you a heads up that we had received you and the public a heads up that we had received these this outline of terms and that we will be meeting with BC DC on Thursday morning with the enforcement committee to hash out these terms so that we can bring something concrete to you for consideration on Tuesday. |
| 00:57:11.41 | Cleveland Knowles | Great. Thank you. Councilmember Halfman, do you have? Or Cox, do you have any other committee reports? |
| 00:57:17.74 | Joan Cox | I'm not sure if you're |
| 00:57:22.16 | Cleveland Knowles | Go. |
| 00:57:23.66 | Joan Cox | I'm going to check my calendar. I don't think I have any other... but I'm going to double check. |
| 00:57:28.03 | Jill Hoffman | I'm sorry, Joan, we did. Actually, I'm sorry. We had a legislative committee. meeting. |
| 00:57:33.08 | Joan Cox | Thank you. |
| 00:57:33.80 | Jill Hoffman | We'd |
| 00:57:33.82 | Joan Cox | We... |
| 00:57:34.26 | Jill Hoffman | Thank you. |
| 00:57:34.28 | Joan Cox | Thank you. Yes. um so and we covered several things at the legislative committee meeting so i'll talk to a couple and then maybe council member hoffman can talk to a couple a couple one thing we did was we looked at um the adu ordinance to better define parameters for adus on top of garages such that they would be consistent with sausalito's, with protecting Sausalito's neighborhood without being so constrained as to create a disincentive to have an ADU on top of a garage. We also reviewed a draft ordinance on electric charging stations. Jill, I'll let you cover the other items. |
| 00:58:17.34 | Jill Hoffman | Thank you. I think it was those two items. |
| 00:58:20.56 | Joan Cox | Now, |
| 00:58:21.09 | Jill Hoffman | Was there anything else? Thank you. |
| 00:58:22.69 | Joan Cox | Yeah, I'll circle back. |
| 00:58:23.77 | Jill Hoffman | Let me look. |
| 00:58:24.99 | Cleveland Knowles | Thank you. Joe or Ray, anything? I know Ray and I had a finance committee meeting. Ray, do you wanna cover that one? |
| 00:58:29.91 | Jill Hoffman | I know. |
| 00:58:36.36 | Ray Withey | Sure. We, as mayor said, we had a finance committee meeting and, uh, Among the topics we discussed was the plans that. our finance department, Administrative Services Director Yulia Carter gave a a review of the upcoming timetable for stuttered repair for the midterm budget and the budget work that needs to happen in the first part of next year. We also reviewed the community development report that I think was on our consent tonight. and had some discussion about that. So Um, without going back to the agenda, that's what rings about for me. I think we also had a sewer committee meeting. I may be off by a week. I haven't looked at my calendar yet. So, uh, No, we didn't. Sorry, we didn't have a sewer committee meeting that was prior to that. So that's all I have. |
| 00:59:54.14 | Joan Cox | And Mayor, I did find the third item that the legislative committee discussed. It was the development agreement process. So you'll recall that for Bridgeway Marina, we're contemplating entering into a development agreement. It may be a useful tool for other projects we are also considering. And so we looked at San Rafael's process and asked the city manager to move forward in that vein and bring a process to the city council for adoption. |
| 01:00:24.39 | Cleveland Knowles | Great. Great. That's getting started. No, that's really fantastic. Thank you. |
| 01:00:30.38 | Joe Burns | I had a community safety and disaster preparedness meeting. That was the first one of the newly set committee of a lot of like we have seen recently in our committees, a lot of just fantastic skilled people. We really just looked at two items other than our city clerk and the Bill Frost, frost our captain of a police captain putting together kind of the format of the committee and going through the brown act and all those things you do with a pretty much completely new committee uh the two items that we discussed uh briefly were getting ready to hear body worn cameras at our upcoming meeting and uh starting the process on vetting the objectives for that program as well as the start of a neighborhood |
| 01:00:30.42 | Cleveland Knowles | I, |
| 01:01:22.44 | Joe Burns | and our help me out of resource group for getting contacts out in times of a disaster. So starting those two works again with a brand new committee of fantastic people. So I'm excited about that. Other meeting was EDAC, the Economic Development Advisory Committee that we've been hearing a lot about and have agenda items tonight. They had really four main business items. The Saucel Business Survey results where they surveyed, I think they sent out about 1,100 responses or 1,100 emails to surveys and had a 11 10 10 to 12 percent return rate wasn't bad with some good information on what businesses were experiencing what their plans are how they were hurting how they were getting by what helped them get by how the city can help those types of really uh invaluable questions for us as as planning both through economic development and then as a council that survey was done in August for a March through July timeframe. And as you know, since then we've had more openings. So some of those, uh, items have changed maybe more businesses have gone out more maybe stabilized but i think that's a good benchmark for us to start with as we look in this quarter and um and going into the winter on where these businesses stand mostly so we can see you know how we can help uh help somebody they also looked at a business retention program and a uh impact reward program uh you know how COVID or no no COVID how we can just better relate with our businesses and and and showcase and acknowledge those that are doing both helping our budget through their through their good sales as well as you know great community players offering other items of real need to our community during times of disaster or otherwise and then finally they went over the six items that we talked about at our previous meeting you know the basically call them the Cosmont but Cosmont study group items that they had narrowed down to six we basically gave gave them a nod on three and a wait on another three and they want to discuss those further and they still might be coming back to us with some updates on those, which I think is good. It's good if we go back and forth with some of those ideas. And then finally some meeting with our council member Cox and staff on getting together the objectives for the cannabis item that we're gonna hear tonight. |
| 01:02:33.59 | Unknown | have gone out. |
| 01:04:00.24 | Joe Burns | That's it. Thank you. |
| 01:04:02.50 | Cleveland Knowles | Great. All right. Thank you, everyone. And in addition to the Finance Committee meeting, I think the Vice Mayor and I were at the RIN mayors and council members, and perhaps Council Member Cox was there as well with Dr. Willis speaking about some COVID updates. We have that on our consent. item. But potentially coming up with some travel restrictions and quarantine. |
| 01:04:26.28 | Ray Withy | Thank you. |
| 01:04:29.77 | Cleveland Knowles | which is under discussion in the Bay Area for people who have traveled outside the Bay Area. And I think that was... That was it. All right, so we will move on to our consent calendar. We have six items on our consent calendar. And if there are no comments from council members, we can open it up to public comments. Anyone have anything on the consent calendar? Okay. open it up to public comment on items 5A through 5F. |
| 01:05:10.39 | Cleveland Knowles | I am not seeing any hands raised. Heidi, could you confirm? |
| 01:05:15.39 | Heidi Scoble | Mayor Cleveland Knowles, there are no other hands that are raised at this moment. |
| 01:05:19.97 | Cleveland Knowles | All right, then I will take a motion on our consent calendar. |
| 01:05:24.65 | Joan Cox | Madam Mayor, I move we approve items 5A through 5F on our consent calendar. second |
| 01:05:34.66 | Cleveland Knowles | Great, thank you. We have a motion in a second. Heidi, will you please call the roll? |
| 01:05:39.04 | Heidi Scoble | Council member Hoffman? Yes. Councilmember Burns? |
| 01:05:42.96 | Joe Burns | Oh, yes. |
| 01:05:46.11 | Heidi Scoble | Councilmember Cox? Thank you. |
| 01:05:47.43 | Joe Burns | Yes. |
| 01:05:49.25 | Heidi Scoble | Vice Mayor Withey? |
| 01:05:50.79 | Chris Monroe | Thank you. |
| 01:05:50.82 | Heidi Scoble | Thank you. |
| 01:05:50.84 | Joe Burns | Yeah. |
| 01:05:50.97 | Heidi Scoble | Mayor Cleveland Knowles. Thank you. |
| 01:05:53.29 | Cleveland Knowles | Yes, the consent calendar. S is five, zero. So we have And arrow. Thank you. That's my plate. We have no public hearing items, so we'll move on to our business items. Our first item is 7A discussion regarding the process for cannabis retail operations in Sassolito. We have our Community Development Director, I have a little bit of a hard work on this and for the discussion. coming. So welcome, Lily. |
| 01:06:38.31 | Lily | Good evening, Madam Mayor, council members. I'm pleased to be here tonight to give you the staff report on this item here. So I'm just going to share my screen. |
| 01:06:51.49 | Lily | Okay. Everything looks good. Go ahead, I'll close. Thank you. Right. So the purpose of this agenda item this evening is to discuss options for establishment of a retail cannabis business in Sausalito. provide feedback and direction. And then ultimately, if you decide to direct staff to prepare for council consideration, a draft resolution with council objectives for retail cannabis, and then also a draft retail cannabis RFP for council review. |
| 01:07:30.37 | Lily | Just by way of background and to set the stage, the Bureau of Cannabis Control is the lead agency in California in regulating commercial cannabis licenses for medical and adult use The Bureau is responsible for licensing retailers, distributors, testing labs, micro businesses, and temporary cannabis events. With regard to retail licenses, the Bureau issues two types of licenses. A storefront retailer license. which sells cannabis goods directly to consumers at the premise or by delivery. or also a non-storefront retailer license that sells cannabis goods to customers exclusively through delivery. |
| 01:08:14.68 | Lily | A little more background in November of 2016 77% of Sausalito voters supported the legalization of recreational cannabis and In 2017, recreational cannabis became legal in California. The council adopted an interim ordinance, which allowed for delivery of medical and recreational cannabis into Sausalito for the years. 17, 2017 through 2019. During those years, the council discussed the potential for retail cannabis businesses in Sausalito. On October 22nd, 2019, the council adopted an ordinance, which allows for the delivery of medical and recreational cannabis into Sausalito. Thank you. Although other commercial activities such as retail sales, dispensaries, and distribution centers are prohibited. on october in october of 2018 the council also discussed and continued the discussion of exploring the possibility of retail cannabis operations in sausalito and then most recently in september of this year the council provided additional direction to explore the possibility of both non-storefront and storefront retail businesses in sausalito and to consider a development agreement approach and the council also formed a working group of council members Cox and Burns to work with staff on this |
| 01:09:41.47 | Lily | Big slide with lots of words here. This table is in your staff report and it just shows, the different jurisdictions that staff and the working group looked at. to examine the different process paths these communities took for establishment of retail cannabis in their community. So we looked at Nevada, San Rafael, Sonoma. Martinez, Venetia, Alameda, and Emeryville in order to provide the council with options on how to proceed. And then we worked with the working group to develop options for proceeding. So as the city of South Florida currently prohibits commercial cannabis activity, such as retail sales dispensaries and distribution centers, the city must ultimately amend its zoning ordinance in order to establish the location process and performance standards for commercial cannabis, prior to allowing such activity in the city. Additionally, the city could consider a selection process for identifying the commercial cannabis business that could be most successful in Sausalito and in turn provide ongoing community benefits. a little bit of a chicken and the egg in terms of what goes first, the selection of the operator or establishing the appropriate zoning. All of the jurisdictions we looked at first proceeded with zoning ordinance amendments in order to establish locations and performance standards. or commercial cannabis retailers, with the second step being to select an operator. While this is a traditional approach, the working group is recommending the council consider a different process. And this process would first begin with the council selecting and establishing objectives of commercial cannabis in Sausalito. The next step would be vetting. businesses and their desired locations in South Slado through a competitive merit-based process that involves public input And finally, making appropriate zoning ordinance modifications. The working group is recommending this particular approach for the following reasons. fact that Sausalito is a small community both in terms of population and physical size and this type of use is unique and we should let the operator suggest locations that meet stated objectives of the council The second reason is conducting a zoning ordinance amendment process ahead of soliciting applications from operators. will likely result in a delayed process as more areas of the city would be explored as opposed to a more narrow field if the selection process occurs first and operators come with their location to the city. And then the last reason is conducting a zoning ordinance amendment process ahead of soliciting applications from operators may result and cause the community unneeded consternation and ultimately might misuse community volunteer and staff time that could be put towards appropriately vetting the right operator for Sausalito and the right location at the same time. |
| 01:12:45.48 | Lily | So tonight we are seeking input from the council on nine issues and I tried to frame those in your staff report in these tables that I cut and put on the slides here. So the first is concurrence on the overall process. And if the council is in agreement with the working group recommendation to first establish objectives for commercial cannabis in Sausalito. The second step, would be then to vet businesses and their desired locations in South Slido through a competitive merit-based process that would involve public input. And then finally, to make the appropriate zoning ordinance modifications. The second topic is to align on objectives of what the city of Sausalito is looking for in the selection process from an operator. The working group put forward some initial thoughts for council to consider with regards to the objectives which are on the screen here. So in terms of business characteristics, the draft draft objectives put forward are to select a commercial cannabis business that will engage with the community, respect neighbors and strive to enhance the community of Sausalito. A highly economically successful cannabis business, a professional cannabis business with a track record of proven community benefits and high sales. quality aesthetic exterior and interior design and superior product including sourcing, branding and identification consistent with a controlled environment. And they also should provide quality community benefits, both in terms of fiscal and civic gain, by both providing a percentage of gross receipts to the city, and then also providing community benefits such as local job creation, hiring of disadvantaged community members, reinvestment into the community, for example, youth education and adult wellness. In terms of location, the job objectives are to select an easily accessible location to support Saucelita residents and a defined service area. A location which is least negatively impactful to the community based on supported data. a location that addresses safety with regards to access lighting and security. And it would also be helpful for the council to consider and discuss any preference for local North Bay businesses and if there should be any restrictions on chain cannabis retailers. |
| 01:15:11.09 | Lily | The third item for discussion is regarding the selection process. There are a number of options to consider with regard to the process and communities have done this in a variety of ways. the what we're recommending the council should opine on are the number of steps in the process. So for example, there could be a three step process that starts with an initial review of applications, then convening a review panel for oral interviews. And then finally, the city council interviews and conditionally selects an operator at a public hearing. If a panel is convened, the makeup of the review panel or committee should also be discussed. The council should also discuss if a location should be required to be disclosed upfront and we'll get into that in a little bit here. the number of licenses and if that should be decided up front. Again, we'll talk about that in a little bit. And then finally, the method of final selection, including a completely merit based process, a lottery process or a first come, first serve basis process. And there's a variety. There's a mix of how other communities have done this. The fourth item is the license types and the amounts available during the selection process. The council could consider limiting the number of available licenses or leave it open for final determination by the council depending on the proposals that come forward. |
| 01:16:41.44 | Lily | The fifth item is consideration of at what point in the application process the ultimate location of the business be disclosed. Some considerations we included in the staff report include Setting a location requirement early in the process could eliminate smaller businesses that don't have the capital to secure at least many months while the process continues on. Also not requiring a business to identify a location early in the process may allow less serious or less experienced operators to compete in the process. And then finally not requiring a business to identify a location early in the process could result in the selection of an operator. with the right fit, but a location that's less than desirable. And then the need for a two-step setting process. The working group is recommending that at a point in the selection process, we establish the operator to disclose their chosen location, possibly prior to interviews with the selection panel. However, the Working Group is recommending that the requirement should not be that a lease is secured. The working group is comfortable with a letter of intent at this phase in the process. The council should discuss if there's interest in this approach and at what stage in the process at least should be required to be secured. Item six is a discussion item about whether or not there should be opportunities in the selection process for historically disadvantaged communities to participate in the emerging cannabis industry. Some items for consideration include individuals who have been arrested or incarcerated for growing or selling cannabis, often lack the financial, real estate, and other resources necessary to participate in the now legal industry. Second, an equity program could assist equity candidates who meet certain criteria by reducing barriers to entry into the cannabis industry, giving priority in a selection process, or creating a fund to assist communities that have been affected by disproportionate enforcement of drug laws. And then third, a cannabis business selection process that cost applicants significant time or money will harm those that are not well capitalized. Item seven is regarding community benefits, which also ties into the prior slide And what type of community benefits should the city encourage through the application process? Some ideas are revenues to the city based on gross receipts, environmental benefits, and then other benefits to the community and the public that the retailer could provide. |
| 01:19:32.10 | Lily | Item eight is a discussion on whether or not the city should engage with a consultant or not in this process. Other communities have worked with a consultant during different stages of the cannabis process, including regulation development and support application development, post licensure, compliance support and tax administration. The city may charge the actual costs to review applications and select an operator, which would offset the cost of staff and consultant time. |
| 01:20:03.36 | Lily | And then finally, and arguably one of the most important pieces is the public engagement process. Options to consider include creation of a selection committee, creation of a cannabis ad hoc committee, Engagement. throughout both the selection and the zoning ordinance amendment process, workshops, surveys, and mailed and email notification as well. This slide is kind of a placeholder slide here if we need to go back to the different buckets for consideration. |
| 01:20:33.94 | Unknown | Sure. |
| 01:20:36.00 | Lily | And we're at the last slide. So this is our recommendation, which is that the council provide feedback on this discussion. with the points that we've highlighted and if appropriate direct staff to prepare for council consideration at a future meeting in early 2021. The draft resolution with the approved objectives and then also a draft. RFP. And that concludes my staff report, and I'm available for questions you might have |
| 01:21:06.36 | Cleveland Knowles | Thank you, Lily, for that presentation. Are there questions, Joe or Jill, is there anything you wanted to add to the presentation? Are there questions? |
| 01:21:17.53 | Joe Burns | Nothing to add. I'll say that we had a conversation and threw a bunch at Lily and then she came up with these graphs and spreadsheet and matrix that was like, wow, how did you capture all that? So it's all here. It's going to be a robust conversation, but I really appreciate the way she captured our conversations. |
| 01:21:39.74 | Cleveland Knowles | Great, thank you. I guess the only question that I had is, so I really appreciate the thoroughness and the conversation around the, Um, process. I just want to be clear, usually I think of an RFP as a something the government does to seek a service that we affirmatively want and I feel like this is more of a process that we are reacting to interest from a number of different Um, I'm not. interested applicants. So I just, I think however we frame um, are or process, I would just Like to just make it clear that we're not If no one was interested, it's not like we I don't know that we're not going out specifically for this. out. We're just managing. process. I was thinking more kind of a beauty contest or other type of planning, process as opposed to kind of a procurement. That's the only thing, the term RFP, I guess maybe I'm Thanks. We might want to think about some other terminology, I guess is my... comment on that. |
| 01:23:04.62 | Cleveland Knowles | So no other questions. So why don't we open it up for public comment. It looks like we've got a lot of folks In the room tonight, so I am going to limit public comment to two minutes. Give them a number of people. And then we have, looks like probably a lengthy discussion through each one of these buckets. All right. start with Tori Krupp. Marian. Kregela and Michelle Leopold. And you'll have two minutes. Heidi, I cannot see. a timer. So there we go. All right. Great. All right, Tori Kropp, welcome. |
| 01:23:51.70 | Tori Krupp | Can you see me? can. my video on. I may actually take my three minutes because that is the allotted amount of time. I'm going to thank you. Can we stop it? |
| 01:24:04.27 | Cleveland Knowles | Yeah. |
| 01:24:04.29 | Tori Krupp | Thank you. |
| 01:24:04.34 | Cleveland Knowles | THE END OF THE END OF THE |
| 01:24:04.48 | Tori Krupp | Thank you. |
| 01:24:04.64 | Cleveland Knowles | Thank you. Ms. Crop, I'm sorry, I am setting the time at two minutes. |
| 01:24:08.81 | Tori Krupp | Thank Ms. Wayland for her talk because it made it very abundantly clear. about what the priorities of the council are. Um, I would like to address the working group, which is I WANT TO TAKE A LOOK AT THE Councilwoman Cox. and Councilman Burns who, and I will quote, Ms. Cox said, we want to choose the entity that's going to provide the maximum benefit the city. Mr. Burns said, I really don't want to go through many more of these meetings. It's an obvious no brainer to me. What I didn't hear was that Marin County has the highest rate of teenage drug use in the state of California. You have three mothers at this meeting. who have dead children. They have dead children. who live within five miles of each other who started with cannabis. You don't think that cannabis is a gateway drug. I heard nothing in this meeting that addressed, I'm sorry, the community benefits? Where do the children come into that? Where do our teenagers come into that? So I am going to call out and say, this is not anything more than about money. Nothing, there is no community interest. Any member of Sausalito can drive to the apothecary 15 minutes away. They could have delivery. Do you understand? Mr. Burns said he was worried about alcohol and oxycodone. Do you understand it is heroin? Xanax, fentanyl, LSD. We are way beyond alcohol. And every single one of these kids has started with cannabis. So I think there needs to be a different discussion about what is the community benefit. Anybody can get it delivered to their home, any adult. Do you understand as a council that these kids buy it off the bike path at Redwood, in the parking lot at Safeway at Tamalpais, THERE IS NO REGULARLY |
| 01:26:03.65 | Heidi Scoble | THE FAMILY. |
| 01:26:03.70 | Cleveland Knowles | for two minute time. |
| 01:26:04.39 | Heidi Scoble | time limit has elapsed. |
| 01:26:06.41 | Cleveland Knowles | Great, thank you very much, Ms. Kropp. We really appreciate your comments. Marianne Craigala. |
| 01:26:17.21 | Cleveland Knowles | Welcome. |
| 01:26:22.33 | Marianne Craigala | Can you hear me? Yes, I can. Thank you. Good evening, Council members. I'll try to make it fast in two minutes. I'm here because I have a personal story and I'm here to express why I'm against the cannabis dispensary stores. Yes, my son died in April from longstanding anxiety and addiction leading to Xanax addiction. But cannabis was the beginning, the middle and the end of his addiction. His toxicology report showed THC levels. And when I cleaned his car, I found empty THC soda bottles. At that time in April, I didn't know what they were. I thought they were kombuchas. And I realized, and that was the beginning of my path to learn, research, and find out about cannabis. And what I found shocked me. |
| 01:27:05.90 | Marianne Craigala | And what shocks me more is that we have all the evidence. World renowned scientists organization, WHO, NIHC, Lancet, Harvard, et cetera, et cetera, all warn us from this coming epidemic, which is already an epidemic. The recent lung association send out warnings, vaping crisis, as Mrs. Kropp mentioned, is highest in Marin compared to California. And here's another personal story. For my son, it increased his depression. It actually reinforced his drug addiction and actually worsened the depression and the anxiety and couldn't pull him out. Early on, he said, Mom, it helps me sleep better, but it kept him addicted. Cannabis kept my son addicted. And I'm a physical therapist since 30 years. I work in chronic pain. I work with psychologists and doctors. They're addiction medicine experts and chronic pain experts. They're rolling their eyes about cannabis. Last week I had a patient with hyperemesis syndrome, chronic cannabis addiction, and none of our patients goes down on opioids. It's the opposite. So here are three things. When you have a dispensary in town, you have access, visibility, and the town starts the conversation, the whole county. And that increases youth risk, and the perception must be safe. |
| 01:28:22.71 | Heidi Scoble | And time limit has it last. |
| 01:28:22.76 | Marianne Craigala | or two minutes. |
| 01:28:25.58 | Cleveland Knowles | Thank you. Thank you. Michelle Leopold, welcome. |
| 01:28:38.85 | Cleveland Knowles | I'm sorry, Ms. Leopold, I cannot hear you. So let's fix that first. |
| 01:28:43.67 | Michelle Leopold | Can you hear me now? |
| 01:28:44.95 | Cleveland Knowles | I can, thank you. |
| 01:28:46.35 | Michelle Leopold | Thanks. I am also here to give community input as a grieving mom. When I realized my 14 year old son was using cannabis regularly, I learned all I could about the new marijuana. This is not hippie grass. Uh, What my friend smoked in college was 2% to 4% THC, 6% if you were lucky to score Maui Waui. Today's THC has about 25% THC with some award winning strains up to 35% and dabs up to 99% THC. There is no comparison and marijuana affects brain plasticity and proper neural function in our youth. My family did all we could to stop my son, Trevor's addiction at age 14. We sent him to rehab at age 15, where he was diagnosed with cannabis use disorder. He came home only to experience even greater addiction a year later. including finding multiple very fake IDs and Cannabis Club memberships, which he did use. And He did graduate from TAM in 2019 after six high schools. Yes, the day after his 18th birthday, his first legal medical marijuana card appeared in the mailbox despite his longstanding issues with drugs. My beautiful boy died in his dorm room a year ago at Sonoma State. after ingesting a street pill that was a lethal dose of three types of fentanyl. His uninformed brain, his unformed brain caused neurons to search out a higher high after being introduced to cannabis at age 14. 30% of marijuana users have a use disorder, nine to 17% of people who try marijuana will become addicted. This is not what we need to do in Marin County. Please follow the suit of every other town in the county. |
| 01:30:46.34 | Cleveland Knowles | Great, thank you very much. Jessica Glennon, welcome. |
| 01:30:50.45 | Michelle Leopold | Thank you. |
| 01:30:50.49 | Herminia Costa | Yeah. |
| 01:30:50.71 | Michelle Leopold | Thank you. |
| 01:30:57.61 | Jessica Glennon | Hello. My name is Jessica Glennon. I'm a representative of the Marin County Youth Advisory Council, a group of students from schools throughout Marin County that work to stimulate positive community change by promoting awareness, education and legislative action regarding substance use. I'm here today to address the Sausalito recreational storefront business from the youth perspective. Sausalito is a five minute drive to Marin City, 10 minute drive to Corte Madera, 15 to San Rafael and 20 to Novato. A policy pass in Sausalito is not just going to impact the residents here, but the residents throughout the county. and students across a variety of high schools that encompass tens of thousands of students. On top of the accessibility a cannabis dispensary would provide, we're in county youth have some of the highest rates of cannabis use in California. within the 10 Union High School District. 36% of 11th graders have reported cannabis use within the past 30 days. TAM High in particular has seen 49% of their 11th graders using cannabis in the past month. Considering up to half of upperclassmen students are currently reporting cannabis use, I can only imagine what having a dispensary within our county would look like. In a climate where marijuana use is becoming increasingly normalized among young adults, we must do everything we can to prevent the extension of usage to more high school students and protect against lifelong addictions. As a high school student, I've seen multiple highly motivated peers have their college plans fall apart due to substance use. One friend of mine in particular who used to make straight A's has transferred schools multiple times, struggled to pass classes and developed an addiction due to continued use of a cannabis-based dab pen. on a broader scale. I know groups of friends who began using cannabis as experimentation, but now make their uses a weekly event where they trade and compare their devices every Friday night. If students have increased accessibility to these products, more and more of my peers will slip into the trap of continued substance use as the percentages creep to over half of each grade. |
| 01:33:01.67 | Heidi Scoble | Your two minute time limit has elapsed. |
| 01:33:06.25 | Cleveland Knowles | Thank you. |
| 01:33:09.84 | Cleveland Knowles | Okay, thank you. Oresh Surush. Welcome. |
| 01:33:17.94 | Jason Sourouche | Hi, good evening, Councilmembers. My name is Jason Sourouche. I'm a Policy Research Associate at the Public Health Institute. I want to emphasize that when considering allowing cannabis retailers to operate within your jurisdiction, your focus should be on the public health implications. Cannabis delivery services in the state can already deliver to Sausalito, so you don't necessarily need a local cannabis retailer to ensure your residents have access to legal regulated cannabis products. But California's approach to cannabis regulations has left many public health concerns. While product diversification is a strategy in any industry, there should be guardrails in place to prevent products from entering the market that may be hazardous to human health. Today, many cannabis extracts are made by isolating cannabinoids of interest from cannabis plant matter and adding terpenes from non-cannabis sources to impart specific flavors. These products are touted as being safe because they're natural and use botanically derived terpenes, but researchers found that it posed significant health risks. In a 2017 publication from the Portland State University researchers analyzed cannabis extracts and found benzene a known carcinogen as a byproduct following the pyrolysis of beta-pinene, which is a terpene commonly found in cannabis. You'll also see retailers selling cannabis products that utilize marketing tactics known to attract youth. Varieties of cannabis like pink animal crackers, which are not pink, nor do they taste anything like animal crackers. And cannabis infused sodas are just a few examples. I think we can all agree that we want to discourage recreational cannabis use among youth. If Sausalito does allow cannabis retailers, consider that the average retailer concentration allowed in California jurisdictions is about one retailer per 19,000 residents. So a city of 7,000 does not need more than one dispensary. Another possibility is to only allow a single nonprofit cannabis retailer operated under city rules that provides legal access but does not promote consumption. If Sausalito opts to allow a for-profit retailer, it should ground a single non-transferable license to an equity applicant. Thank you. but does not promote consumption. If Sausalito opts to allow a for-profit retailer, it should ground a single non-transferable license to an equity applicant. Thank you. |
| 01:35:19.74 | Cleveland Knowles | Great, thank you. Kelsey, sorry, Kelsey Fernandez, welcome. |
| 01:35:33.56 | Kelsey Fernandez | Hi. Can you hear me? |
| 01:35:35.94 | Cleveland Knowles | Thank you. |
| 01:35:35.96 | Kelsey Fernandez | Thank you. |
| 01:35:35.98 | Cleveland Knowles | Right. |
| 01:35:36.03 | Kelsey Fernandez | Yes, we can. |
| 01:35:36.97 | Cleveland Knowles | you |
| 01:35:37.02 | Kelsey Fernandez | Thank you. Hi, good evening, honorable mayor, council members and staff. This is Kelsey Fernandez and I am a Marin County resident and a member of Marine Prevention Network. I know you received my correspondence. that included MPN's physician statement and I understand that the council isn't making any decisions on cannabis businesses tonight. I just wanna offer our organization as a resource as you explore this issue and the implications for residents in Sausalito and the surrounding communities. Public health advocates in Marin have decades of experience watching big tobacco and alcohol to target local youth. The emerging evidence shows the same is happening with the new commercialized cannabis market. I'm not anti-pot. I'm not talking about medical marijuana. And I'm not saying cannabis should be illegal. I am, however. as stated in the position statement, that asking, excuse me, that the city considers establishing a panel of public health experts, including healthcare providers, prevention and treatment professionals. educators. and others that are knowledgeable about evidence-based environmental prevention and for this panel to provide policy recommendations for grounded in science and public health as opposed to commercialization and profit. If we sincerely want to reduce the high rates of substance use in ring County, and I believe you share a commitment to that. It is imperative that we go beyond the individual strategies like educating students and parents and innervating once issues arise. We must address the physical environment and community attitudes and norms. I would like to thank this council and the newly elected council members for your service to our community and for taking the time to understand all the angles on this issue. |
| 01:37:34.46 | Kelsey Fernandez | Thank you. |
| 01:37:37.39 | Cleveland Knowles | Great, thank you. Eric Sklarv? |
| 01:37:42.14 | Eric Sklarv | Yes. good evening mayor and city council and staff thank you for hearing this item again we've been talking about this for a number of years now um i want to based on my experience in opening operations in other cities and other jurisdictions make a few recommendations based on what the staff has presented as options first of all i highly recommend that you offer both non-storefront and storefront licenses are very different businesses the non-storefront adds a real value, both economically but also environmentally. By having a non-storefront dispensary delivery location in Sausalito, that means drivers from that delivery business going to citizens in Sausalito are driving much less far than they are currently where they're going from as far as Novato and even Cotati to deliver to Sausalito. Storefront offers the customers an ability to come in and understand the product better and be educated. So you really need both. Mike Murphy, Highly recommend against a lottery process, you want to pick the best businesses to operate in your community and that beauty contest process that the mayor said talk about is really what is the best way to do it is proven to work quite well in other cities. Again, I highly recommend that you have more than one offering of one operation. Allowing one means, A, that there won't be any competition. Competition is a good thing. Number two, if you pick one and then they can't actually get going or they're not, it turns out that their funding falls through, then you can end up in a two or three year process where you pick one person to operate and nothing actually happens. Having several is a much better way to go. Location. It's a retail business when it's a storefront. It should be in a retail zoning. That means on one of the main streets where retail locations are, the non-storefront makes enormous sense to put in the marinship area or industrial area, semi-industrial area, because it can be out of the way. It doesn't need to be on retail areas, but retail should be where retail is, where there's parking. And somebody has recommended possibly the B of A location, which would be an excellent location for a cannabis location, giving the city both tax revenue, but also rent from the business as well. And finally, I support the general, the staff's process of an idea of going with picking the selection of the business person and going to zoning. Your two minute time limit has elapsed. |
| 01:39:43.48 | Cleveland Knowles | for two minutes. |
| 01:39:44.21 | Unknown | Yeah. |
| 01:39:44.23 | Cleveland Knowles | has elapsed. Great, thank you. Nurit Rafael? Welcome. |
| 01:40:02.64 | Narit Rafael | Hi there. Hi, Madam Mayor and Council. My name is Narit Rafael, and I am a proud cannabis owner in San Rafael. to Lily first of all you did an incredible job it's a really hard presentation to put together and the RFP is the legal term for putting the package together I just wanted to show up in support and let everybody out there know that the youth would not be affected with the Bureau of Cannabis Control regulations nobody under 21 can enter the store with the track and trace program you are knowing where the seed to sale is going on every product. So it couldn't be any safer. And I truly believe that the city of Sausalito would be a great place for a storefront. And I would just like to be here if you guys have any questions or an open book to somebody who's gone through the process and You know, back in 2016, when I was trying to get my license, I know Sausalito had a 76% approval by your city so I would continue listening to that percentage thank you |
| 01:41:08.72 | Cleveland Knowles | Great, thank you. I'm going to go ahead and get at Costa. Thank you. Welcome. |
| 01:41:23.03 | Herminia Costa | Hello, my name is Herminia Costa. I am 18 years old in the Marin County High school student, I am here today to address the purpose of cannabis license and social media regulations. I think if cannabis stores open in Marin, it will give kids another way to buy cannabis products. In my experience, I have seen friends and kids that get in contact with dealers that sell fake IDs to buy off them and that way they are able to get an access to illegal substance use. These underage teens are able to walk into cannabis stores and liquor stores to shop online with safe IDs. Furthermore, teens then go to their social media to post the substances they purchase to sell to others. Kids on social media that are friends with or follow the sellers then are able to get in contact with them to purchase this cannabis and liquor often. I also wanted to address that there are also young kids that rely on their older siblings or family members to get their hands on these services. Kids that don't have fake IDs wait outside liquor or cannabis stores waiting to ask if they can purchase substances for them. Most adults do help them. Kids purchase these substances, they can't they ask for as long as the kids give them something in return. I heard people say that kids just need education We do learning in school and health risk with relations to using alcohols and drugs. It is the next message, however, When we see so many people using it around us and when kids see a store selling products they are soon they must be safe. I think this is particularly true for younger kids. Marin County has a higher rates of marijuana use and the average in California state. and the country and for the sake of my peers, I think we should do everything possible to avoid getting it worse. Thank you for your time this evening and please consider how this is going to impact young people in our community. |
| 01:43:23.90 | Cleveland Knowles | Thank you. Great, thank you so much. Damian Morgan, welcome. |
| 01:43:43.06 | Damian Morgan | You hear me? |
| 01:43:43.53 | Unknown | Thank you. |
| 01:43:45.00 | Cleveland Knowles | Yes, we can. Welcome. |
| 01:43:46.99 | Damian Morgan | Hello, thanks. Council and Fast. for having me and Lily, thanks for your presentation. My name is Damian Morgan. Born and raised in a city. I'm a Tam High graduate. 1992. Um, person I want to My apologies to all the moms and dads who have called in. regarding the youth drug uses and alcoholism and all that. Um, Being at TAM, when I got to campus, I saw it all. It can be tough. No doubt. Um, I do support storefront cannabis in Las Weedle. Ah. I think, I don't think I know that, Um, It could be a big benefit to the community besides tax dollars. There are many benefits to it. Um, It says a lot that more than three quarters of the community are in favor of it. And that says a lot there. And, um, I, I am very interested in the community benefits and equity parts of it. I'm very, very, very interested and want to be a part of that. package. But I wanna say that it's not just on the the group that's selected. I think it's a two parts to that. So obviously the city also has to, should be, you know, working towards an equity program, not with just commissions, but with financially too. With the group that submitted, and the South Seattle itself. So I think it could be a two part benefit program, equity program with the group that's selected and the city. um, And last but not least, putting in safety measures. I'm sure we're gonna get there with safety measures for kids and youth and the community. I know we'll get there. I trust the community, I trust the council, I trust staff, I trust the group who's gonna come in. and pick a local group. Your two minute time limit has |
| 01:45:49.82 | Heidi Scoble | Thank you. |
| 01:45:49.84 | Cleveland Knowles | Your two minute time limit has elapsed. |
| 01:45:51.75 | Heidi Scoble | Thank you. |
| 01:45:53.13 | Cleveland Knowles | Great. Thank you very much, Damian. Jasmine Garrity. Welcome. |
| 01:46:03.93 | Jasmine Garrity | Can you hear me and see me? |
| 01:46:06.63 | Cleveland Knowles | Yes. |
| 01:46:07.07 | Jasmine Garrity | We can. |
| 01:46:07.22 | Cleveland Knowles | Yeah. |
| 01:46:07.31 | Jasmine Garrity | Thank you. |
| 01:46:07.39 | Cleveland Knowles | and then, |
| 01:46:08.28 | Jasmine Garrity | Okay, great. Hello, my name is Jasmine Garrity. I am a resident here in Sausalito on Buchanan Drive up by Willow Creek. I sent in an email earlier today on this and I'd like to thank council member Cox getting back to me. I really appreciate it. I have been keeping track of the meetings and I attended the city council meeting that took place last October in 2019. when it was decided by the council to prohibit cannabis storefront businesses based on the public health impact that it would have on our town. So I was surprised when I saw the article in the IJ about Sausalito moving towards cannabis businesses this past September. and to learn that there was already a discussion of a development agreement with a location in mind in the Marin Ship District. This is all news to me. And I feel like we skipped a very crucial step of revisiting the ordinance and receiving public input. As a constituent, I am curious about how the council jumped to storefronts without the resident input. and what plans there are for public workshops and input on this topic. I also am curious about if there's been any community outreach, education, and discussion on whether we want to allow the only non-medical cannabis storefront here to be here in Sausalito. As a constituent, I want to know more about the process around this. I would also like to know what this development agreement entails and how it works and how it came about without this public input, like I've been saying. Um, As a constituent, I am fairly disappointed in the lack of transparency with the community around this. and the fact that I found out about it through the Marin IJ. Um, Additionally, the fact that this specified location is approved in as far away from downtown and as close to kind of that junction and what the traffic implications are going to be around that. As a community member, I ask you to please wait until you're |
| 01:48:07.90 | Heidi Scoble | Two minute time limit has elapsed. |
| 01:48:10.16 | Jasmine Garrity | Thank you. |
| 01:48:10.17 | Heidi Scoble | Okay, thank you. |
| 01:48:11.73 | Cleveland Knowles | Thank you very much for your comment. Just to be clear, there is no development agreement yet. There is no location. This is our second meeting, just still talking about process and further public input. So there's no decision and this is not a decision making meeting. Um, So next, Laurie Dubin, welcome. |
| 01:48:36.14 | Laurie Dubin | Thank you. |
| 01:48:38.30 | Cleveland Knowles | Thank you. |
| 01:48:38.32 | Laurie Dubin | Yes, good evening. Can you hear me? Yes, we can. Thank you. So I'm a parent of three children who have all graduated from the Tam High School District, and this afternoon |
| 01:48:41.49 | Cleveland Knowles | Thank you. |
| 01:48:49.02 | Laurie Dubin | I submitted written remarks to the council explaining the work that I do in Marin County on adolescent substance use. and especially how it relates to the cannabis industry and how cannabis has made our job very difficult my comments tonight however are made in my individual capacity To be clear at the outset, I have no issue with adult usage. but I am very concerned about the impact of allowing cannabis businesses in our towns for all the reasons I set forth in my email. and especially storefront retail. A year ago, I attended a meeting of this city council with other parents and Sausalito residents who all conveyed our concerns on this. we were reassured that council members heard us and voted to continue to ban retail sales and other commercial activity while still allowing for deliveries. but when I read in the IJ that Sausalito was moving toward allowing cannabis retail, I had to wonder what happened in the last year? Why was there no outreach to the public? and what went on behind the scenes. I scratched my head just in disbelief. So I made a records request to the city And the documents that I've received begin to paint a picture. it's become clear that numerous cannabis companies from Fume to Otter Brand, Own a Life, Perfect Life, all of these companies have been in contact with Sausalito officials MOST NOTABLE is San Francisco's Otter Brantz, who has been in frequent communication with the city even drafting a development agreement. I know it hasn't been accepted, but it's been submitted to. town and identifying their first choice for a retail store. have smartly teamed up with locals who have asked their friends your two minutes |
| 01:50:41.02 | Heidi Scoble | Your two minute time limit has elapsed. |
| 01:50:45.05 | Cleveland Knowles | Great, thank you very much. We did get your correspondence. Ms. Dubin. Will Tate. Welcome. |
| 01:50:56.98 | Will Tate | Hi, my name is Will Tate. I'm a senior at Tenwapais High School. I'm here to speak on the city council's discussion on retail storefront cannabis businesses. Tam High, where the majority of teens from Sausalito go, has the highest rate of 11th graders who have used cannabis in the last 30 days. That's 48%. almost half of the students. I'd say that this number is an underestimate. I go to TAM and I've seen massive amounts of cannabis use on campus. The products many of my peers use are not cannabis buds. They are store-bought processed wax, edibles, dab pens. These products come from legally run businesses With easier access to these sorts of products through a local store, I can guarantee that the 40% will rise. I've seen many of my friends and classmates become addicted to cannabis and cannabis products. This affects them in many ways. I've seen straight A students turn to C and D students within a year. They smoke in school, after school. It ruins their academic scores. I also play sports and I've seen the effect of Canvas products on that. Thank you. I've seen teammates unable to run for long periods of time as they did before they started using cannabis. in school. My classmates use products from canvas dispensaries, though not actual canvas. Many students use edibles, which are very easy to hide and look like regular candy. Dab pens, which practically have no smell, sometimes no smoke, and they are much more potent. A store. in this community will only increase the amount of these high potency products in the hands of teams. It's great that the Sausalito was the first to ban flavored tobacco products. I hope you can continue to protect the youth by banning a cannabis store. I do not want to see more of my classmates using cannabis. Thank you. |
| 01:52:46.27 | Cleveland Knowles | Great, thank you. And I'm sorry I mispronounced your last name. Connor Johnson, welcome. |
| 01:52:57.55 | Connor Johnston | Good evening, Counselors. Connor Johnston with Otter Brands, as you heard, and as you've seen me many times and my partner Chris Monroe and Karen Cleary. We opted not to inundate you with public comment tonight, which in retrospect, maybe we should have. I will just say briefly that Sausalito residents have shown over and over their overwhelming support for cannabis and for regulating cannabis, which is Ultimately, the best way to keep kids safe and to reduce teen use is to regulate it and not keep the current model, which is clearly failing. But I do want to thank Councillor Cox and Councillor Burns for the great work with the working group and director Wei Lin for putting the package together really well done and I would just make a couple recommendations having worked as a consultant for in jurisdictions all over the state. You know, I do think it's important to... Look for an operator that has a history of success in this industry who will succeed. Look for local ownership. Look for someone with a commitment and a demonstrated record of local hire because that's how you're going to get the economic from a store to reverberate in your community. 3 or 4 or 5% of gross to the city is nice. But what's most impactful is creating jobs for people. and creating quality jobs with good pay and having local owners whose money is invested back at other businesses in town. That's how you really create a broad community benefit from a single business. And I would also say that it shouldn't just be a bidding war. You know, I've been a part of processes where businesses frankly bid more than they could sustain just to get the license and then subsequently backed out because they knew it wasn't sustainable. And lastly, since I see my time is going quickly, I will just say that most of the objectives that are laid out in your staff report tonight are reflected in the development agreement proposal that we sent to you in February. And we are ready to move forward anytime. |
| 01:55:01.70 | Heidi Scoble | Your two minute time limit has elapsed. |
| 01:55:05.59 | Cleveland Knowles | Great, thank you. Don Carney you Welcome. |
| 01:55:31.10 | Don Carney | Can you hear me now? |
| 01:55:32.47 | Cleveland Knowles | Yes, we can. |
| 01:55:33.88 | Don Carney | Okay. So, um, I'm the director of the Marin County Youth Court I've been working with young people in Marin County around drug issues for 16 years. Anybody who thinks that they can keep kids from getting marijuana because the law states you have to be 21 to buy it is a fool. kids are shoulder tapping at legal outlets consistently And The increase of the cost of marijuana in the legal industry is driving the black market. It's not closing the black market, it's increasing the black market. So we have wealthy kids shoulder tapping at the dispensaries getting whatever they want. and we have poor kids hitting the black market. All you're doing is creating chaos for the young people in Moraine County. I suggest that you line up with families and children. and not open a dispensary and not make other people rich on the pain of others. families and children. Thank you. |
| 01:56:40.78 | Cleveland Knowles | Great, thank you. Thank you for your work with the Youth Commission. Bridget Clark. Welcome. |
| 01:56:49.50 | Unknown | Right. |
| 01:56:54.14 | Bridget Clark | Thank you. |
| 01:56:54.16 | Cleveland Knowles | Thank you. |
| 01:56:54.18 | Bridget Clark | Thank you. I'm just trying. Can you hear me? |
| 01:56:59.41 | Cleveland Knowles | Yes, we can't hear you. |
| 01:57:01.15 | Bridget Clark | Okay, well I can't seem to start my video. Can I talk anyway? |
| 01:57:04.72 | Cleveland Knowles | You may. |
| 01:57:05.45 | Bridget Clark | And I'm sorry. Oh, there it is. It says start my video now. and So hi, I'm Bridget Clark. I'm a Redwood High School graduate and Marin County native. I am. wanting to point out the fact that The industry doesn't talk about the side effects of cannabis. We have seen an uptick in psychosis with psychotic breaks with cannabis with use. and I can say as a caregiver for a family member who has schizophrenia, I do not wish this disease on anyone. And this is a side effect of regular cannabis use. use for youth. that people should be aware of. Um, I find it ironic that the cannabis industry is offering to do education on a product where they will benefit from the sale of THE END OF THE END OF THE I helped as a community member to do an education event with David and Nick Schiff at Dominican University. a year ago. And Nick Sheff, who was the star of Beautiful Boy, said that cannabis was the hardest of all of the drugs he took to quit. so it's a serious drug that I don't think we should overlook from that capacity. We need to look at this from a public health angle. And, And to not be just looking at the tax revenue because this is we're having some serious mental health issues that are increasing. I was on a call with Buckleau today and we had 192 suicides last year. and and cannabis is often marketed as a stress and anxiety reliever. So I want to have |
| 01:58:53.09 | Unknown | and |
| 01:58:57.53 | Bridget Clark | a more broad ranging look at this conversation and not just having the cannabis industry folks, which I believe a lot of the people speaking tonight have a financial potential gain. Your two minute time limit has elapsed. |
| 01:59:15.91 | Cleveland Knowles | Great, thank you, Ms. Clark. Sean Cleary. Welcome. |
| 01:59:27.15 | Sean Cleary | Okay. My one? |
| 01:59:29.48 | Cleveland Knowles | Yes, you are. |
| 01:59:30.62 | Sean Cleary | Okay, hi. I don't have a whole lot to say. Other than that, I would really encourage council to finally just move forward on developing approval of this issue once and for all for the reason that this is something that a majority of Sausalito residents have supported repeatedly. We have different groups looking into this. We have a local group, Otter Brands, has been mentioned. I support them. They have been working for over two years doing diligence on this issue, talking to citizens and getting an understanding of the community. And again, the citizens have roundly supported the idea of a local dispensary each and every time they've been asked. I think that all the necessary preparation has been done from that end. We have a team of people that are ready to operate that are local, they're prepared, and they're invested with the right kind of industry knowledge of both Sausalito and the cannabis industry. I think also we're now on the second election cycle since cannabis was legalized in California, regardless of the opinions of some, cannabis has been recognized as safe and legal for sale and consumption. And I think it's time for Sussli to take advantage of this possibility. I think that 2020 is a painful year for the town and for everybody. We have a local group of people that are ready to help us, and I think it's time. Thank you. |
| 02:00:41.09 | Cleveland Knowles | Great, thank you. Eva iPhone? Thank you. |
| 02:00:46.49 | Eva iPhone | Welcome, welcome back. |
| 02:00:51.12 | Eva iPhone | Thanks so much. This is a really interesting discussion and my heart goes out to the parents who lost children. I, I really have to ask, having grown up in the area, I've gone to TAM. I really have to ask, how is it that one of the most exclusive communities in California, one of the wealthiest and most racially segregated counties THE FAMILY. with so much. such a huge problem with teen drug use. And I'd like to suggest to people like Don Carney that they've, they've, they've restricted the conversation on this. Because it seems to me that You know, at my age, I'm 52, I've watched the inequality grow. all over the country, but particularly in the Bay Area. Thank you. I've watched the policing become exaggerated particularly in unequal ways so that you have white children who are almost never busted. Thank you. for inordinate drug use and you see a lot of over-policing of Black youth and Latino youth. And I just think that we're not really drilling down on why so many white youth are becoming addicted. It is a question that needs to be examined more closely. Why are people who are given everything, who are their feet never touch the ground, they are chauffeured from kindergarten all the way through high school to $1,700 a season soccer teams to all white swim teams? What is at the root of the problem? And I think Marin County has some tough questions to ask itself. in terms of what it's doing. Thank you. |
| 02:02:53.75 | Heidi Scoble | Your two-minute time limit has elapsed. |
| 02:02:54.03 | Eva iPhone | minute time. |
| 02:02:57.06 | Cleveland Knowles | Thank you. I have Lynn with an iPhone. Welcome. |
| 02:03:07.38 | Dr. Lynn Silver | Hello, can you hear me now? |
| 02:03:08.90 | Cleveland Knowles | Yes, we can. Thank you. |
| 02:03:10.71 | Dr. Lynn Silver | Good evening, members of the council. Thank you for Um, having us speak. My name is Dr. Lynn Silver. I'm a pediatrician professor at UCSF and mother of five. Um, I'm, I'm a part of my work on cannabis policy research and I want to tell you that everything you are hearing from the kids, from Mr. Carney and from others, consistent with what the most recent research on cannabis is showing. The greater the proximity to dispensaries, the higher use use. In our own research, we're seeing higher use during pregnancy, the closer you are to a dispensary. It's not, I'm a person who believes in legal access But I do not believe in creating a for-profit machine of addiction. So we have to figure out how we can allow legal access in the state but without building a machine whose only goal is to make money off selling this product to our young adults and to our children. use in young adults now. nationwide is at a 35 year high. and daily and near daily uses vastly increase which is a result of the increased potency and the nature of the products that are being sold today that as the Surgeon General has said, is not your mama's marijuana or the marijuana from when I went to college. It's a totally different product which is much more likely to generate dependency and more likely to generate acute psychosis and schizophrenia as another speaker mentioned. These are serious problems. You do not need competition in the marijuana industry, five dispensaries or three dispensaries in town the size of Sausalito. will just drive down price and force these businesses to try and find enough customers. And those customers will be the kids in your high school. even though they can't walk in the door. Uh-huh. In delivery companies, we saw in an evaluation in San Mateo that 40% didn't verify age. and almost nobody effectively verifies age on the websites. the way the California |
| 02:05:11.24 | Cleveland Knowles | Your two minute time limit has elapsed. |
| 02:05:12.70 | Heidi Scoble | Yeah. |
| 02:05:15.55 | Cleveland Knowles | Thank you so much. Megan Boynton. Welcome. After that, I have Carlo Berg, Chris Monroe, and Ryan, and Gary Fedorov, if there's other public and the Cyrus Ariano. If there's other people who would like to speak, please raise your hand. Okay, Megan, thank you. |
| 02:05:35.93 | Megan Boynton | Madam Mayor, can you hear me okay? |
| 02:05:38.73 | Cleveland Knowles | Yes, thank you. Thank you. |
| 02:05:39.80 | Megan Boynton | Thank you. Thank you so much and thank you to the council members the staff for this really thorough, really well thought out and very research report. I was incredibly impressed. I second exactly what Noreet said. My name is Megan Boynton and I am, Sauceleto is my hometown. when I grew up in Sausalito. And so it's very close to my heart. went to TAM High School as many of the parents on this CALL, HAVE STUDENTS THERE. I'm actually here to support this thoughtful process and support multiple licenses as well as multiple operators bidding on a merit-based process. I believe that we could actually, many of the operators on this call could probably turn over a presentation tomorrow to the council to start reviewing. I also support Expedition. I think that I was looking at the records that Lily put together and I couldn't believe that basically four years ago, Sausalito overwhelmingly supported. the proposition to legalize cannabis. And so now we're four years in and we should probably be doing this for this beautiful city. I'd like to also support some of the recommendations in the plan around community outreach and community support and equity. Those are things that are very close to my heart. The last thing I'd like to say is that We have as a mother, I will just say this. I do not allow my child into a liquor store. and that, is all I have to say. Thank you very much. |
| 02:07:18.33 | Cleveland Knowles | Okay, great, thank you. I'm Carlo Berg. been Chris Monroe. Carla, welcome back. |
| 02:07:33.79 | Carlito Berg | Hello, can everyone hear me? |
| 02:07:35.36 | Cleveland Knowles | Yes, we can. |
| 02:07:37.38 | Carlito Berg | Great. Great. firstly, I'd you know, I just want to echo. everyone else's statement. important discussion. I think that's a good question. And I just want to I'm not educated enough on the subject. So to really with any degree of certainty either way, but I just want to share a quick personal story. When my dad first got diagnosed with dementia, He had mild cognitive impairment He was often confused and he couldn't go to sleep. And we tried to take care of him at home for two years. and, And I have seven siblings. So it wasn't like there wasn't plenty of ability to take care of him. but he would not understand all the time where he was. He didn't understand all the time He didn't understand who other people were. when he was in the car, sometimes he thought he was being kidnapped until he would try to punch the driver. that we're going to be able to And in general, he was just a You know, he worked out every day, ran the hills of Sausalito every day in the short shorts. And in general, was just a really physically fit guy, and he also did a lot of martial arts, and so that we're going to be He, the time came to get to the think about putting him in a place that was more effective for him. that we have. when he punched Um, We have seen several people, including some of our family, and hurt them pretty significantly. because even though he's an old guy, he's real strong. one of the only things that The only thing actually, despite all the other drugs that were prescribed to him that helped him, were CBD pills. and sometimes THC pills. And And I can't speak out to the benefits or detriments for younger folks in the city. but I just thought I'd share that personal story because to me, you know, and when he's in the hospital too, They won't let you have a DVD in there, |
| 02:09:38.26 | Alyssa Hambrick | Thank you. |
| 02:09:38.27 | Cleveland Knowles | Thank you. |
| 02:09:38.31 | Alyssa Hambrick | Thank you. |
| 02:09:38.34 | Cleveland Knowles | Your two-minute time limit has elapsed. Great, thank you. All right, Chris Monroe, welcome. |
| 02:09:53.55 | Chris Monroe | Good evening, council members. Can you hear me? |
| 02:09:55.91 | Cleveland Knowles | Yes, we can. Welcome. |
| 02:09:57.68 | Chris Monroe | Thank you for holding this meeting tonight. And I'll keep this as short as possible. It's getting late. My name's Chris Monroe. I'm a business owner in Sausalito. I'm also a, Partnering in Auto Brands, who is also pursuing cannabis retail in Los Alito. And I would just like to have a recommendation to the council that in the choosing process you go with merit-based as opposed to a lottery. And basically in closing, I would just like to say as a person who is approaching 11 years of sobriety, alcohol, that alcohol is without question the largest gateway drug there is in the United States. And I think people need to recognize that. fact when it's so widely used when discussing the potential downside to cannabis use. Thank you very much. |
| 02:10:54.79 | Cleveland Knowles | Great, thank you. Ryan and Gary Federov. Welcome. |
| 02:11:12.22 | Ryan Federoff | All right. My name is Ryan Federoff and my husband Gary and I have worked with teens in Marin County and across the country for almost 20 years. We wanna start by saying that we are pro-youth, not necessarily anti-cannabis. You asked why we have such a huge issue with youth marijuana use and it's partly due to community attitudes towards substance use and the messages that we send as a community. I don't believe that three-fourths of the community that support this are as deeply knowledgeable on how inextricably intertwined adolescent substance abuse and community attitudes towards substances are. And if they were, I think that number would significantly decrease. |
| 02:11:33.04 | Unknown | . |
| 02:11:47.77 | Ryan Federoff | Gary and I currently work for an adolescent treatment center And he is an adventure therapist. My husband also contracts with the TAM Union High School District as a counselor and provides substance use prevention, education, and intervention services to their most at-risk youth. My husband is also a person in long-term recovery and has nine years abstinent from all drugs and alcohol. We have dedicated our lives to educating and supporting teens and their families who struggle with mental health and substance use issues. I am also a Mill Valley native attending Park School, Mill Valley Middle School and Tam High School and I'm currently raising my two children Alexa 11 and Oliver 7 in Mill Valley. We have seen firsthand the negative impacts of the messaging, legalization of marijuana and increased storefronts and advertisements has had on our teens and the implications are far greater than you can imagine. When marijuana was legalized, it sent a message to our youth that it was okay for their bodies and their minds. It minimized the impact that it has on their brain development. And now a rite of passage for our teens is getting a medical marijuana card when they turn 18 because it isn't hard to do. It takes five minutes and $100. We have to consider the messaging that is sent to our teens when we put dispensaries in our communities and we need to not consider tax revenue. We know many of the mothers that are on this meeting here that have lost their children. We can tell you that each of these children, without a doubt, found marijuana a gateway to the substances that led to their deaths. And the messages we send to our children in our community when we put these businesses here, so that we can make a profit is increasingly concerning to me as a parent. Please reconsider. |
| 02:13:15.56 | Cleveland Knowles | Great. Thank you very much. Uh, Sarah Soriano. And then I have one more speaker after that, element seven. So if there's anyone else who would like to speak, please raise your hand. |
| 02:13:31.22 | Sarah Soriano | Hello, good evening. Thank you for your time. My name is Sarah Soriano and I'm a Marin County resident. And I have the privilege of working with youth in Marin County to um basically to quit their tobacco use. The reason why I wanted to speak tonight is because I have heard a lot of students say that they are not going to about their difficulty in quitting their use of tobacco and often almost in every case, they have been doing their job. I have noticed the use of THC be a common behavior or habit that these students have. that the vape devices that they use they can use either tobacco, nicotine, or THC in high concentrations, and that the solutions in these cartridges or in these substances and products are oftentimes misunderstood and overused. I just want to note that a few chemicals that are used in electronic liquids that contain either nicotine or THC have been proven to be cancerous. And we all know how harmful that these vaping devices can be and that these substances can be to the brain development of youth. And, um, I'm very concerned that the access to these products would increase the use of these substances among youth. And I just wanted to clarify the shoulder tapping Um, term that was used earlier And just to clarify of students, I've spoken to many students that say that they almost always receive their products from dealers through use of Snapchat in other ways so they find a way to use the substances. |
| 02:15:34.46 | Heidi Scoble | Your two minute time limit has elapsed. |
| 02:15:37.26 | Cleveland Knowles | Great, thank you very much. Okay. We've got two more speakers and I would really please ask anyone else who would like to speak, could you please raise your hand? uh now thank you so element seven and then alyssa hambrecht and then we'll close public comment |
| 02:15:54.50 | Josh Black | Madam Mayor, City Council members, City staff and residents of Sausalito. My name is Josh Black. I'm a resident of San Francisco and work with Element 7. cannabis retail company focused on California. I appreciate there's a lot of apprehension sort of misconception about cannabis, particularly when there's such a a recreational drug issue in Marin County. I think that the biggest problem I see in the county at the moment is between Sorcellito and San Rafael. There's 18. delivery businesses advertising their services on Weedmaps today. So that's 18 businesses that are untaxed, untested, unregulated and are delivering products to adults, but also kids within the county and within Sausalito. And I think that's the biggest problem at the moment is there's 18 of those. um i would encourage the city to um refrain from a lottery process i think that is what it is, it's a lottery, and you're going to end up with someone that potentially isn't an optimal operator. A merit-based process will, I think, result in a much better operator. When it comes to fake IDs and shoulder tapping, I mean, as an operator, we don't see that as an issue. I haven't seen anyone shoulder tapping outside any of the stores we operate. We have machines in place to scan IDs to make sure that they're legitimate. Fake IDs do turn up and they get spotted. I would also encourage the council to implement things like making sure that there's a man trap lobby, which keeps people out that aren't supposed to be in the dispensary. And finally, Element 7 as an operator submitted a full packet last year to Calvin Chan. for operating a dispensary in Sorcelledo. And our recommendation would be to move forward with a medical dispensary to begin with. |
| 02:17:57.98 | Heidi Scoble | Your two minute time limit has elapsed. Thank you. |
| 02:18:01.30 | Cleveland Knowles | Great, thank you very much. Okay, our last public speaker, Alyssa Hambrick. Welcome. |
| 02:18:11.88 | Alyssa Hambrick | Thank you very much. I would also like to congratulate Lily on her presentation that was very comprehensive. And I would like to support what some other speakers have mentioned in your merit-based presentation. discovery process for the right operator. I think that will give the city the quality business that will add and benefit the community at large. I'd really like to say that prohibition time and time again has proven to be very ineffective I think we can all look at the world's example of Portugal, which has decriminalization. They led the way and Oregon to the north of us has just adopted this policy. what is the data is very clear when, The drug use is decriminalized, use goes down, and seeking of treatment and education goes up. It is a net benefit that saves lives. that increases people seeking treatment, because the stigma is gone. So I, support Sausalito's movement towards allowing legal retail in the community drug dealers do not check ids and having legal access reduces the black market thank you very much |
| 02:19:42.05 | Cleveland Knowles | Great, thank you. Okay, I do not see any additional hands raised. Heidi, could you please confirm that? |
| 02:19:50.28 | Heidi Scoble | There are no additional hands raised. |
| 02:19:52.75 | Cleveland Knowles | Okay. Great. So thank you. to all of our public speakers. Could I just ask each member of the city council to turn on your microphone and speak so that I can see you all on my... to say anything. Hello. |
| 02:20:09.30 | Ray Withey | Hello. |
| 02:20:10.18 | Cleveland Knowles | All right, thank you. I still don't see Joe or Joan. I love. Thank you. |
| 02:20:16.45 | Unknown | Hello. |
| 02:20:16.74 | Adam Politzer | So, |
| 02:20:16.99 | Cleveland Knowles | So, Sorry, and so we have. So thank you. So first, before we start our discussion, I did just want to acknowledge all of the people who are here today. So thank you. So thank you. powerful testimony that we heard tonight from the parents who came. It's very hard to speak about your stories and very hard to hear. We have number of parents. foster parents and grandparents on this council. So I think we all understand where you're coming from on that. I'm a parent of two teenagers myself. And And I think I would also just like to say, I think, We, are talking about. possibility. of cannabis retail for adults. And that it is the responsibility of all of us parents. elected officials. county health officers and all the amazing nonprofits and doctors who spoke to us tonight. to ensure that our youth are as educated and protected from any substance, including alcohol, cannabis, and other other drugs that we can. So I think that's something that we are all United in. and in making difficult decisions around these issues. So I just wanted to preface our discussion around those principles. So with that, I'd like to ask Lily to come back On. And talk to ask Councilmember Cox and Burns how you would like to move through the material that we have tonight. Did you want to go through? I know we have, I think eight Thank you. Bye-bye. |
| 02:22:21.25 | Joe Burns | different. |
| 02:22:21.75 | Unknown | Thank you. |
| 02:22:21.97 | Joe Burns | So, All right. I think that It literally had the first slide had, even though it was really word intensive, it had the best summary of the items. So we might have to go back to screen view if you wanna go through those. I'm sorry, it's like slide five. Is that the one, Lily? |
| 02:22:48.58 | Lily | Yeah, this one here is the summary, kind of the case study summary of the different |
| 02:22:48.72 | Joe Burns | up. |
| 02:22:54.56 | Joan Cox | No, not that one, sorry. |
| 02:22:56.60 | Lily | I have this one here, which is a summary of the different topics to discuss, and then an individual slide on each of those topics. |
| 02:23:03.91 | Joan Cox | Yeah, that's... Okay, so we don't have that. Thank you. |
| 02:23:09.10 | Lily | Councilmember Berger, this is the big slide here. This shows the case study different jurisdictions we looked at. and some categories here in terms of how they handle |
| 02:23:20.85 | Joe Burns | I'm sorry. |
| 02:23:21.05 | Joan Cox | Thank you. |
| 02:23:21.34 | Joe Burns | That can run us through the categories. |
| 02:23:25.88 | Joan Cox | I think the one slide that has the nine categories and then if we need, we have this on our iPad Some of us hard copy. Thank you. |
| 02:23:37.50 | Cleveland Knowles | Thank you. |
| 02:23:37.52 | Joan Cox | Yeah. |
| 02:23:38.94 | Cleveland Knowles | Okay, so are there any overall comments that folks wanna make before we start? |
| 02:23:44.54 | Joe Burns | Yeah, I kind of do. You know, we're gonna have this type of meeting every time. And like Connor said, They, they held back on bringing the support groups, but we'll have 60 to 80. 30,000 people in the county didn't support it. So, there will be the product when it went to a vote. So there will be this continual engagement. I am really concerned about what's happening in Marin. And supposedly, and most notably the high school that our kids go to at TAMM, They fit. You know, the first 10 speakers or 15 speakers talked about it being the worst of all areas. If it's the worst drug use What's wrong? It has nothing to do with dispensary because we don't have any. So what's causing this to be the worst possible? Dr. Lynn from USF used her professional judgment to say without a doubt, team use is highest when it's close in proximity to a dispensary yet we don't have a dispensary. So either we don't have the size type T news or that stat is wrong. There's the communities to figure out another question. It has nothing to do with dispensaries dispensaries, right? I mean, it's why is that number? higher than every other county. without a, and we don't have a dispensary. So there's no nexus between dispensary and high use apparently. Um, So I, But we're going to, we're going to be talking about the product every meeting. And I, I am. I think we just need to determine which way we're going to go with this and then start the objective conversation like we are tonight, which I appreciate. |
| 02:25:27.80 | Joan Cox | I just lost Lily's slide. Are we, is that still gonna be shared? |
| 02:25:33.38 | Cleveland Knowles | Yeah, we're not sharing the screen at this point. |
| 02:25:33.72 | Joan Cox | not. Thank you. |
| 02:25:35.88 | Lily | I'm sorry. Thank you. |
| 02:25:36.56 | Cleveland Knowles | when you, |
| 02:25:37.06 | Lily | Thank you. |
| 02:25:37.08 | Cleveland Knowles | Thank you. |
| 02:25:37.30 | Lily | Thank you. |
| 02:25:37.37 | Cleveland Knowles | Thank you. |
| 02:25:37.47 | Lily | Thank you. There we go. |
| 02:25:38.68 | Cleveland Knowles | you I think she was just waiting for us to finish any general comments. I'll pull it back up when you'd like it. |
| 02:25:48.74 | Cleveland Knowles | Yes, vice mayor. |
| 02:25:50.63 | Ray Withey | So, Madam Mayor, I have some general comments, but I'm going to reserve those till later. I think practically... You know, it's 925. We've you know, Lily is presented us with the challenge of opining on nine items, including to objectives of which there's, from what I can see, about eight bullet points. So, realistically, we're going to be here till 2 in the morning if you want to go through every single one of these and try and form an opinion. I quite frankly prefer to see staff in the working group come back with a specific recommendation of objectives that we can opine on. If this is it, then you know, We're going to be here a long time. So that's the only comment I'm making at this point is practically, how do you want to move through this? |
| 02:26:57.34 | Cleveland Knowles | Yes. |
| 02:26:57.69 | Ray Withey | And what is the goal here? What's our endgame here tonight? |
| 02:27:01.62 | Cleveland Knowles | Yes, I agree. I mean, there are nine issues and that's why I was turning it over to the working group to |
| 02:27:07.11 | Unknown | Yeah. |
| 02:27:07.51 | Cleveland Knowles | Let us know maybe the highlights of what you want input on or |
| 02:27:12.78 | Joan Cox | Thank you. I think that if Excuse me, Madam Mayor. Council Member Burns, did you want to respond? |
| 02:27:19.34 | Joe Burns | Well, I think we're probably going in the same direction. We don't have to go through this whole list. If somebody sees something that they have a preference on one way or another, Let's just vet it now and then we can take that information and come back with a very detailed objective list. But this is important to see all the choices Sorry. |
| 02:27:34.72 | Joan Cox | I think it's important that we in light of all the comment tonight and all the comment that we had a year ago, I think it's important that we confirm what our path forward is going to be. And at that point, I would recommend council members weigh in on anything that's of huge importance, i.e. merit-based versus lottery. I think that's a clear, for me, that's a no-brainer, merit-based. If there are other components in the nine issues that Lily presented that Council members have strong feelings about I would recommend you express those feelings and then delegate authority to the working group to give direction to staff on the remaining items so that they can come back to the Council in the when they are anticipating which is early next year with a more clear recommendation for a path forward. |
| 02:28:30.08 | Cleveland Knowles | Thank you. |
| 02:28:30.10 | Jill Hoffman | Yes, Councilmember Huffman. |
| 02:28:31.57 | Unknown | Thank you. |
| 02:28:32.12 | Jill Hoffman | So, okay, yeah, I appreciate the comments of everybody. Ray, I think to your point, YOU KNOW, I HAVE SOME some ideas on how to address some of these things that I think might streamline our discussion tonight. So I'll just launch into them and maybe this might be a way forward. one of the biggest things I think, um, that leapt out to me was that I don't see any point in, in talking about an operator until we have the ordinance. because it makes no sense whatsoever to draft an ordinance that fits an operator who may or may not actually be able to have a viable business and get up and running and many, many things happen. in the interim between the selection process and you don't even really know what the criteria is until you have the ordinance in place. We also have issues about where, and a lot of that is gonna be driven by, well, some of that is gonna be driven by, the state law about how close you can have a retail cannabis to a school. So that we need to have, you know, that everybody needs to understand like what the state law is. And then that would inform our, of course, that would be the floor. our ordinance right you can't have it this is off the table these certain areas. THE FAMILY. And I mean, I'm running through my head. I mean, that would be the first thing that we need, from staff with a map of what we have available or not. The other thing is whether or not we want to consider it on a safe route to school. I would say that's going to be a tough sell as well. So. Our operators need to understand that, right? Before they even throw their hat in the ring, because it makes absolutely no sense to talk about an operator until you have an ordinance in place. I think we need to have public discussion on and public vetting of an ordinance. I mean, that's just the process that we go through. I think we need to have You know, we've just been through a pandemic and we understand You can't ignore input from public health experts when you're drafting policy, especially as a policymaker as we are, going forward. So I would want to see more input from public health experts, not merely people stating an opinion, but experts, on the issue of public health and the ways that we've seen some tonight, but I don't think we've fully explored that. I think we would want to, look at all of these things but that is part of the vetting process the public process of an ordinance so to me. the ordinance comes first. I can weigh in on some of the other things, but I think if we want to, I mean, I've gone down and I've checked my own boxes, you know, on these things, but I think that's a very, first way to go and then it would be probably Um, you know, limited license to see how it goes. Right. And then then we would see and then we would have real metrics about how it affects the community. how it affects whatever the metrics are and whatever we wanna study. So those are kind of my initial thoughts, As always, I would say, listen to our my fellow council members who have been involved in this process, especially Joe and Jonah. |
| 02:31:37.31 | Joan Cox | The only drawback to an ordinance is that we're not able to identify a location within that ordinance until we see proposals. from proposers who have proposed locations uh, we can't just simply say, It's confined. to this area. if that area is not available for any of the potential proposers. Perhaps it's an ordinance setting forth the, the other requirements that we've discussed, but leaving open, the location or including parameters for the location, such as you know, following state guidelines regarding proximity to schools avoid safe routes to schools, and perhaps some other more broad, parameters. |
| 02:32:29.59 | Jill Hoffman | Well, isn't that what we do? I mean, ordinance, you know, the ordinance, we do that don't we all the time. You can have this type of business in this area. This type of business is not amenable. I mean, that's, that's, We start with zoning, of course. but then we're crafting something unique that we haven't had yet. in town. That's the opposite of what we've voted on three years ago. I mean, I just think that's the logical place to start. And then, the operators will know and have certainty. I mean, you wouldn't want to have an operator that you say okay to, and then your ordinance says no. I mean, you can't. So to me, that makes no sense. So, I mean, I think |
| 02:33:05.95 | Cleveland Knowles | Thank you. Thank you. |
| 02:33:06.53 | Jill Hoffman | Thank you. |
| 02:33:06.58 | Cleveland Knowles | where we had left off, which, um, Thank you. I think made a certain amount of sense is not. an ordinance that just broadly allows anyone that fits the criteria and the location to set up shop that we wanted to be much more selective. We wanted to be much more cautious at the beginning that we did not want more than a handful, I would say maybe even more than one or two. I mean, we're a very small town. operations to start up. So an ordinance implies, applies to me that we would be setting up zoning, setting up strict criteria. And then if you meet those, you may go forward. So the idea of the beauty contest or the competitive process to me was to be much more circumspect, much more limited, and to be very careful about how we go down this path for all of the reasons mentioned by a number of speakers tonight. So I, I think that the subcommittee. did a good job of sort of thinking about all the and requirements that we would want. And I don't think we necessarily need to adopt the ordinance first. But I think that's a good question. Um, if We've got all these high bars. to moving forward. So that's kind of where I would come down on that. |
| 02:34:32.17 | Jill Hoffman | Thank you. |
| 02:34:32.42 | Cleveland Knowles | Yeah. |
| 02:34:32.73 | Jill Hoffman | Thank you. |
| 02:34:32.81 | Cleveland Knowles | Thank you. |
| 02:34:32.88 | Jill Hoffman | Thank you. I don't think. |
| 02:34:36.32 | Joan Cox | Oh, sorry. |
| 02:34:37.06 | Jill Hoffman | That's okay. doing the ordinance first wouldn't exclude the selection of whatever criteria we want to set after we have the ordinance in place, |
| 02:34:48.98 | Cleveland Knowles | So what type of ordinance are you talking about, Jill? Because I think the last time we spoke, we were talking about a selective process. |
| 02:34:49.28 | Marianne Craigala | So, what are you doing? |
| 02:34:56.15 | Jill Hoffman | Yeah, but you have to have the ordinance just to even have the parameters for what you're going to, require and where you're going to let, you know, that you've vetted the areas for where you're even going to allow the establishments to be. We may have a, area that we don't, you know, that the people that are whatever. going through the selection process aren't going to want. Right so they have to know, don't they before we even start on this process? I mean, We need to have a public, we have to have a public You know, we have to have a public, AND I THINK IT'S A GOOD where people who live in this town understand where we're thinking of putting these types of businesses. or where we're gonna put our first business or our pilot business. I mean, that's part of it. accept, you know, accepting you know, proposals and people not know how the impact on the community neighborhoods not know what the impact is going to be on their neighborhood. |
| 02:35:54.10 | Joan Cox | So I don't know. |
| 02:35:54.16 | Jill Hoffman | I DON'T KNOW. |
| 02:35:55.40 | Joan Cox | Oh, sorry. |
| 02:35:57.61 | Cleveland Knowles | So I think we're conflating an ordinance, which is a mechanism as a law with the Number five topic, which is |
| 02:36:05.03 | Jill Hoffman | location. |
| 02:36:06.79 | Cleveland Knowles | Thank you. |
| 02:36:06.80 | Jill Hoffman | But why would you say, but it's not even legal yet. If we don't have the ordinance that says it's legal Why would you accept? I mean, I just, I just can't wrap my head around that. Sorry. |
| 02:36:16.61 | Joan Cox | Sorry, go ahead. So can I just say, Julie Vieira, our executive director of our Chamber of Commerce worked very long and hard with the city of Hollister on its cannabis ordinance, which, and there's a whole website, which she has shared with the council, which includes their ordinance, Then the application procedure to establish a cannabis facility, then the application for a commercial cannabis facility license. So that's someone that, you know, has an ordinance and then an application procedure. We were wanting to understand better What? POTENTIAL Operators were out there Um, in order to better craft an ordinance best suited for our town and what's available and our needs. So we were wanting to go through an invitation process to review proposals, review applications and ideas, and from that craft the ordinance most specifically tailored to work in Sausalito. |
| 02:37:21.71 | Jill Hoffman | I don't have any problem with that sort of research at all, but I do have a problem with selecting the operator before we even have an ordinance. |
| 02:37:28.38 | Joan Cox | not collecting simply inviting proposals so that we can rely on those proposals in addressing the various issues outlined by OUR COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT |
| 02:37:38.55 | Jill Hoffman | I don't have a problem with that. Yeah. The way it read in the staff report was that we were going to select before we even had an ordinance. That makes no sense. |
| 02:37:47.02 | Joe Burns | Well, we can do that with a development agreement, can't we? |
| 02:37:51.19 | Joan Cox | Yeah, once we're ready for a development agreement, that's separate perhaps from the cannabis ordinance itself. That's the mechanism. |
| 02:37:58.48 | Joe Burns | But development agreement is what gives the candidate the knowledge that they have a spot. |
| 02:38:04.39 | Joan Cox | Thank you. |
| 02:38:04.41 | Unknown | Yeah. |
| 02:38:05.15 | Joe Burns | And that we will then do an ordinance. So it is the drive us between candidate and ordinance. Correct. Otherwise we keep putting one in front of the other and we get the candidate or the ordinance. Isn't the development agreement that bridge. |
| 02:38:18.85 | Joan Cox | So I see our Community Development Director waiting |
| 02:38:21.03 | Lily | IN. Thanks. Thank you and sorry this was not very clear in the staff presentation or the staff report. So what a lot of other communities have done, regardless of adopting an ordinance first or going through the selection process first is when they get to the selection process. they end up with a winner or you know the the operator that they think makes the most sense in their community and they offer a conditional license to that operator the conditional license does not give them the ability to go up and set up shop they then have to go through all of the other steps outlined in their zoning ordinance and a lot of times that's a use permit a use permit through the step that the council could discuss when we talk about a zoning ordinance amendment and the process for cannabis retailers. So that would be a whole another layer of public process and public review of that operator at that location in that context. The idea from the working group is to establish the set of objectives that the council could align on that are the frame in which Thank you. the applications that are solicited would be reviewed. And so that would be the you know the concerns about safety and proximity to schools that would be in those objectives. The objectives of getting a you know professional |
| 02:39:57.65 | Unknown | Um, |
| 02:39:58.09 | Lily | operator that has a track record of XYZ. all those things that we talked about a little bit earlier. and applications being vetted through that process. and then a conditional license or a final operator that that were or thinking makes the best sense in Sausalito and then going through an ordinance amendment Um, that would then provide them with an opportunity to apply for additional permits and go through the public process. And, you know, of course, a building permit and all those other sorts of things to, um, to get into the location. |
| 02:40:38.03 | Unknown | Does that help? |
| 02:40:41.80 | Cleveland Knowles | Thank you for that clarification, Jill and Joan. Makes sense. I think You know, going to the objectives and the characteristics, the business characteristics, I would like to add an exploration or at least a potential preference. A couple of speakers mentioned a nonprofit |
| 02:41:04.29 | Unknown | and I think, |
| 02:41:06.03 | Cleveland Knowles | type of model. And then one of the other speakers talked about the idea of starting at least with a medical dispensary. I don't really know enough at this point about whether either of those options is feasible or why that would be proposed, but I think it's worth um just looking into as to why that would be proposed from a public health perspective as opposed to a regular normal profit. making institutions. So yes, Ray. |
| 02:41:43.92 | Ray Withey | Yeah, so I think the Again, we can go round and round in circles for a while here. to help Clarify, I think the concept of a medical only is makes no sense to me. I mean, eventually this is going to be phased out very, very quickly. you know, The last thing you want considering all the testimony we've heard, is to have you would need to restrict a storefront to over 21 year olds. my view. And medical doesn't get you there. |
| 02:42:33.09 | Cleveland Knowles | Okay, well, if that's the case, then that's not acceptable. |
| 02:42:36.90 | Ray Withey | Because medical, you can, you know, 18 years old, you can get a medical card. |
| 02:42:38.93 | Cleveland Knowles | Thank you. |
| 02:42:41.83 | Ray Withey | You can get a medical card by going online to having a five minute conversation with you know, some doctor and you know, 100 bucks later, you get a medical card. Well, that doesn't help. Most delivery businesses aren't even distinguishing. They're just not selling too |
| 02:43:00.34 | Cleveland Knowles | That's fine, we can take that. |
| 02:43:01.10 | Ray Withey | 18 year olds, you know, In terms of, It seems to me that I understand where council member Hoffman's coming from in terms of it doesn't, can't get your head around the fact that you've got you know you don't have an ordinance but you're inviting but that's not the process we're going through the process that we're considering which has to only be a very limited process. So surely the lottery has to be removed. I mean, let's take that off the table. because that doesn't work for Sol Solito. That makes no sense. That works for Alameda and it works for San Rafael because they're going to be issuing, you know, six, 10 licenses each or whatever they're going to do. I can imagine that the most I can imagine is two, but I would say we start with one. And we start with one and in terms of license type, we should definitely be seeking non storefront Certainly. But I think we should also entertain storefronts. I'm not sure. Non-storefront is easy. I mean, that's easy. Storefront's a whole different matter. And so if we're actually thinking of going through the – I'm going down the list now. I think we should select the operator first, but part of what we request, whether you call it an RFP or whatever you want to call it, is They've got to have a location in mind. It's not just an abstract concept of we want a license to do this anywhere in Sausalito. It's we're coming with a location. Because that way, You say, that location doesn't work. That's not going to work. And that's part of your criteria for how the lottery works. Not lottery, sorry. That's how the merit base works. As part of the merit is what is the location proposed? Right? I mean, considering you've only got one thing. You're not going to put it in somewhere ridiculous, next to Willow Creek or next to, a new village school or something, you're not going to do that. So Part of the proposal is to come with a location that the, Operators in discussion with the community believes they're coming with community support. And there is a very large community support here. for this, much larger than then we would I would have initially thought there's a huge community support for this So if you go down the list objectives, I like, you know, |
| 02:45:55.81 | Joe Burns | Can I just come to- |
| 02:45:56.53 | Ray Withey | I agree with all the objectives. Is there anything else? I agree with that all. Put it in the RFP. |
| 02:46:02.42 | Joe Burns | Greg, can we just, I just, I want to touch on what you just said about the order of picking the, |
| 02:46:02.63 | Ray Withey | Can we just joke? |
| 02:46:08.58 | Joe Burns | candidate. I think that's right on, right? You go to Canada and they have a location. We could just even add a couple steps in there. We might do something that has Um, qualified candidates who then we say your next round is to produce a location. But also in between that, we provide what's off the table for location and what's preferred for location. because we can't really just you know, we have to give them some guidance as potential applicants because we don't have a zoning ordinance. But they, you know, normally you'd have a zoning ordinance to say, here's where I can and can't go. We're minus that we might want to give them some direction as a council to say, we're, we're prefer, we're in ship for North Susley though. We're against downtown. And that doesn't have to happen tonight, but it might happen in between steps of a pool proper candidates, and then they go out to get their LOIs, And they have to then do a sales job, right? Nobody's going to sign an LOI. uh, you know, even a landlord's not going to do an LOI. If he already knows that the council says, and absolutely it won't be in this area. So we, we have to do some stuff. So I think you're right. We just add a couple of steps in between those. |
| 02:47:23.22 | Ray Withey | Thank you. Yeah, I can agree with that. That makes some sense. |
| 02:47:26.43 | Jill Hoffman | Let me just interject this. So. we tell or we indicate we as City Council or staff indicates to whoever operator this is where I think Is it good? AREA. And then the operator relies on that, goes to a certain amount of expense to engage with a landlord, with a, you know, with their plan and do their plans and their architects and all that stuff. And then as part of the ordinance process, Oh. the public. really weighs in about what they want in the ordinance and where they want it. And it doesn't end up being a place where we've told somebody, that this is my the council preferred location, but it doesn't end up that that's the ordinance. Haven't they then relied on that? And haven't we then created more of a problem because now we've gone through this whole process trying to vet this whole thing, but we don't actually have the ordinance. So, |
| 02:48:24.17 | Joe Burns | That's it, that's a risk for this entire process. Every time we come to a conclusion, then go to the public. |
| 02:48:24.51 | Jill Hoffman | That's what we're saying. |
| 02:48:29.29 | Joe Burns | will reverse that conclusion. We will dance for years on that. |
| 02:48:32.75 | Jill Hoffman | That's why you want to have certainty for the operator. The certainty comes from an approved ordinance. |
| 02:48:38.23 | Joe Burns | Prior to the public hearing where that location is. |
| 02:48:42.35 | Jill Hoffman | well, isn't that part of the ordinance? And then you know, then you're pretty certain because that's what your ordinance says. You can have a, we're going to have cannabis retail |
| 02:48:46.92 | Joe Burns | Thank you. |
| 02:48:46.94 | Sybil Boutillier | Thank you. |
| 02:48:46.95 | Joe Burns | No. |
| 02:48:47.46 | Joan Cox | All right. |
| 02:48:47.48 | Sybil Boutillier | Thank you. |
| 02:48:47.53 | Joe Burns | Thank you. |
| 02:48:53.43 | Jill Hoffman | these zones. That's it. And then you pair, yeah, Joe, to your point, then you do pair it down. I'm in the zone and this is about But at least you have some certainty there. But, You know, I think what Joan and what Lily just explained is the way to go. you have sort of you know, proposals, that nobody's relied on yet. Everybody understands this is not, this may or may not be acceptable. But, and then that informs how you do the ordinance and then you move from there. I mean, that, to me, gives the greatest certainty to THE PUBLIC. and to the operators who are considering you know. opening up a store in Sausli. One other thing I would like to have as part you know, the next staff report is some sort of report on the public health issues. because we cannot ignore that. You cannot ignore that. |
| 02:49:39.94 | Joe Burns | No, it's- you those reports are out there. They're, they're There are. |
| 02:49:44.75 | Jill Hoffman | We have not considered them as part of this process. and we cannot ignore that. going forward. So we have to say we have considered this And this is our decision moving forward. I think that's our response. |
| 02:50:00.09 | Cleveland Knowles | I mean, to some extent, Jill, we can do that, but we've got a statewide office of cannabis and we've got the county. I mean, we also are not public health officers. Thank you. |
| 02:50:10.05 | Jill Hoffman | You know, so we 100% agree. That's why we need to have a report from, you know, addressing some of these issues. |
| 02:50:16.27 | Joe Burns | Remember they have to get a license by the state first, right? So these are licensed, they have to get a license. There's three license mechanisms in the state, whether you're growing, transferring, |
| 02:50:25.17 | Cleveland Knowles | Yeah. |
| 02:50:25.45 | Joe Burns | Thank you. |
| 02:50:25.47 | Cleveland Knowles | Thank you. |
| 02:50:25.59 | Jill Hoffman | you |
| 02:50:25.67 | Cleveland Knowles | I got it. |
| 02:50:26.62 | Joe Burns | I understand. |
| 02:50:26.65 | Cleveland Knowles | It sounds like we are all agreeing on the committee's recommendation for at least |
| 02:50:27.31 | Unknown | Thank you. |
| 02:50:34.58 | Cleveland Knowles | To get. I think we all agree generally on the objectives that are in the staff report. It sounds like. And to get that. I think the process I think, Jill, you're using different terminology, but I think if you agree with what Lily And Joan were proposing, I think that's what's in the staff report as the order of things. So. I think. we are in general agreement on that. I think what the issue is when Is number five is when does the location come into play. the kind of an clear issue at this point. So I would just ask, I guess, for our community development director to indicate when she would recommend that issue. come up and if we can get at least in our next presentation, I do think we need All of the areas, there's multiple state requirements for where you cannot place um, cannabis retail, so we at least need to have that |
| 02:51:43.92 | Joe Burns | there's |
| 02:51:43.94 | Cleveland Knowles | Thursday. |
| 02:51:44.90 | Joe Burns | There's guidelines. We get to choose. |
| 02:51:47.75 | Cleveland Knowles | Well, we're not going to put it within a thousand feet of a school or daycare center. So. |
| 02:51:52.29 | Joe Burns | I mean, the state doesn't stay that. |
| 02:51:55.38 | Cleveland Knowles | They're well. They may not know that, but they're pretty clear that that's not acceptable. |
| 02:52:01.41 | Joe Burns | They say they suggest a 600, but go ahead. but it's not. |
| 02:52:09.07 | Joan Cox | Well, I mean, these are things we can come back with. So I think we've gotten some direction Lily. Thank you. Do you have direction adequate to work with the working group for as long as we are around. and come back to Um, us. early next year, WITH A MORE well hatched. process for consideration. |
| 02:52:36.96 | Lily | I think I do. Yeah, I think I do. I, uh, Madam Mayor, did you want me to talk a little bit about the location, what I heard from the council Would you like me to work with the working group on that? |
| 02:52:50.04 | Cleveland Knowles | That's fine. If we're going to still come back before any, I guess if we're going to come back with a type of request for proposals or requests for uh, qualifications. I guess those would be the two paths. I mean, it sounded like one proposal was a request for qualifications to get legitimate companies that are interested. We qualify X number and then we work with those number. to go down to the next year, which is what Joe was talking about is that's when we would get to potential. discussions of location. So, you know, maybe that's the direction that I would probably prefer is that we weed out, so to speak, the Um, various companies that meet our qualifications. And that you've outlined, I think. So that would be the first process. And then that we tackle second issue with a lot more public robust public outreach location. |
| 02:53:58.91 | Jill Hoffman | Can I interject? Do we want to separate out non-storefront retail and storefront retail to raise points? |
| 02:54:06.79 | Cleveland Knowles | Yeah, I have much less of an issue with that. I mean, that actually changed. |
| 02:54:11.97 | Jill Hoffman | Do you even have? |
| 02:54:12.74 | Cleveland Knowles | you |
| 02:54:12.79 | Jill Hoffman | Yeah, do we even have it? |
| 02:54:14.03 | Joan Cox | than was to do non- I expressed a preference for non-storefront, but then there were no applicants who could, provide a non-storefront Thank you. |
| 02:54:23.95 | Joe Burns | I'm not. |
| 02:54:24.03 | Joan Cox | TODAY. you |
| 02:54:25.05 | Joe Burns | They can't. |
| 02:54:25.06 | Joan Cox | They can't. |
| 02:54:25.87 | Joe Burns | Yeah, the people that got back to us said it doesn't work for them financially to just do delivery only out of Sausalito. |
| 02:54:34.73 | Joan Cox | but I still have a total preference for non-storefront and mayor, can we address Councilmember Hoffman. request for additional data on you know, from public health experts, I just think that would be helpful for our staff report since we have had such Um, It was such a high number of folks weighing in on. I would like to just ensure that we consider that as we move forward. |
| 02:55:06.52 | Cleveland Knowles | I think our planning staff will need to sift through You know, we've gotten a lot of public comment on various public health sources and perspectives and studies on both sides. And so to have a comprehensive staff report, it requires some kind of expertise. to sift through what Uh, of that, you know, we've had very reputable sources. We've had some that I, you know, I have no idea. if they're good or if they're not. So I'm just, you know, I'm cognizant of our staff at the local level. Um, that that's a, Um, So yes, I think it's great for us to get as much information as we can, but we need it. vetted in a way that we understand Um, What's. what's legitimate and what's within our |
| 02:56:00.79 | Damian Morgan | Thank you. |
| 02:56:00.81 | Ray Withey | Wait. We cannot. We cannot unless we want to do it based on personal, feelings. make a decision. based on expert public health. advice. because if I put 20 public health officials in the room, I could guarantee we'd get 40 views. This is not something that the city of Sausalito is equipped to possibly try and deal with. You have to accept the fact that the city of the state of California has legalized this. |
| 02:56:37.48 | Unknown | Thank you. I'm not. |
| 02:56:43.88 | Ray Withey | And therefore the issue is about where, if, if and where. |
| 02:56:51.07 | Jill Hoffman | No. |
| 02:56:51.23 | Ray Withey | And the where, let's have a staff report that first of all says where you cannot by state law. |
| 02:56:51.25 | Jill Hoffman | I believe. Sorry. |
| 02:56:59.00 | Ray Withey | That's easy. Right? Draw your draw your map and say where by state law you cannot put this. You're not gonna put it in residential. So where on commercial or industrial areas can you do this by state law? And then, you know, I mean, Half of what I've heard, I'm not an expert. I mean, don't get me wrong. I'm not an expert on this, but I did spend four years doing a Ph.D. in neuroscience. So I know a little bit about this, and I've read a lot of the literature. Okay? And most of the literature, there is inconsistency. There is not consistency. between you know, There's you could get a whole spectrum of public health views. And so what does the city of Sausalito do? Pick the one they like? based on our personal preference, each council member. Well, that's not very... Doesn't that make sense? |
| 02:58:02.63 | Jill Hoffman | Right, so we can be better informed. Okay, so let me respond to that for just a second. because as in our realm that we deal with in trial work, If you don't have an expertise in an area and you're trying to figure out the path forward for whatever law you're trying to work on or if you're in front of a jury, and you bring in an expert and you talk to the experts and sometimes you have competing experts but at least you're addressing the issue. And to Ray's point, You know, I don't expect us to be able to understand all the literature, that's why you bring in a public health expert and you get the report from them. So, Just because something's legal across the state doesn't mean that you you can make the decision in your town what you're going to the risk you're going to accept for the people who live in your town or people who don't live in your town. to the point of, all of the comments that have been made tonight by public health experts. doctors. We talked today and we've had people that are involved in Marin County Public Health policy groups. So, My point is just, I would like in our next staff report to address some of these AND I THINK THAT'S A reports from reputable people. either in the state, Marin County, whatever, And then we can evaluate that right and accept the risk that we want on behalf as policymakers for the people of Sausalito. These are some things that I heard tonight that I hadn't particularly heard. before. And so I would like to address these. |
| 02:59:36.74 | Joe Burns | I think- |
| 02:59:36.95 | Jill Hoffman | for our staff. |
| 02:59:37.94 | Joe Burns | I think, Jill, I think you brought it right on the head. We just had a doctor tell us that, Something that can totally conflicted with everybody else's viewpoint. because she said youth is highest next to dispensaries, yet we have the highest youth rate and we have no dispensaries. So we had one contradiction there, Then we had another guy tell us that there's shoulder tapping happening in Marin. Well, they can't be because we don't have any dispensary. So you can't shoulder tap here. Shoulder tap in other counties, but they're not shoulder tapping here. So we had two experts and they both, and they contradicted what everybody else was saying, or at least the norm that we don't want to have a dispensary. So we will, you can get a hundred opinions, like Ray said, and we just proved it tonight. So. |
| 03:00:15.77 | Jill Hoffman | Well, I don't see those as contradictory. |
| 03:00:15.89 | Joe Burns | Thank you. we're gonna litigate the product, we might as well just |
| 03:00:20.13 | Jill Hoffman | Okay, but Joe, the point wasn't that there's a high. The point was that there's a high incidence at TAMM The point is we have a high incidence already And their point was, If you have a dispensary, retail dispensary, your use is going to go up among kids. Now, Again, that's why I wanted, well, that was, So I don't see those as contradictory, but that's my point. |
| 03:00:45.24 | Joe Burns | But that's my that we have higher than other counties and other counties have dispensary. that would say the nexus would be you have a higher rate when you don't have a dispensary based on the information. |
| 03:00:54.59 | Cleveland Knowles | I don't think that was a point. We're getting, I think we're way far afield at this point in terms of, so, |
| 03:00:55.16 | Alice Merrill | I don't know. |
| 03:01:02.37 | Cleveland Knowles | I get the point that we want some more information on the public health impacts. I think we can, I think the only point that Ray and, Ray more eloquently and I less eloquently were trying to make is that there is a limitation on what we can expect and get from staff. So we can certainly include a discussion, but we, you know, we don't have the resources to vet. And, um, get as in depth as you might in some, you know, in a trial where you can pay hundreds of thousands of dollars for an expert at your disposal. So we will direct staff to include a reasonable discussion of public health impacts. within their resources. Okay. And then. Is there any other, so is everybody on board with this kind of two part? like a request, uh, for qualifications type of first phase followed by an actual selection. Okay, so I think we will direct staff to head in that direction. Um, |
| 03:02:10.54 | Cleveland Knowles | I had one more thought, which just went out of my head. So I'm sorry about that. Do other, are there any other general comments that people would like to make at this point? |
| 03:02:18.37 | Joe Burns | We were going to kind of weight some of those objectives. So when we get those qualifications, we know really what we're looking at. You know, we have a lot of community input that this is a financial decision. And I don't think it is. It's not for me. This one floor is not going to change our budget drastically. It's not going to get us out of pension liabilities. It's not going to do financially what people think it might do. but if it succeeds, it can have a true impact in a lot of other areas, most notably youth education and the other things that we build into our objective list. So I think we might wanna, you know, are we looking at a 3% or 4% big? Does that matter over a quality establishment that gives us a 2% big, but they're doing education on the side and they're performing in some type of other use, not just through employment, but with an education or just they maintain a high level of quality. So there isn't shoulder tapping because that's where there's a difference. Vallejo has more than the apothecary and the marina. So, |
| 03:03:18.43 | Cleveland Knowles | I would put that back on a working group. So you've put, I think you've come up with a decent list of business characteristics. I definitely agree with you that the financial. Upside is not what we are. You know, that's not the only thing, but that's not what you've got listed here. But in terms of waiting, I think that's something that we are not going to be able to do tonight. |
| 03:03:38.78 | Joan Cox | you |
| 03:03:42.16 | Joan Cox | I'm sorry. with having the working group do that. We wanted to present options, get feedback on anything you had major feedback on and then go back to the drawing board. I think we're... I think we have the information we need from the council to do that. |
| 03:03:58.80 | Cleveland Knowles | And then I would probably make the suggestion that we give to the legislative committee Almost good. analyzing whether |
| 03:04:08.16 | Unknown | Thank you. |
| 03:04:10.03 | Cleveland Knowles | legislation on non-storefront retail would be appropriate or if that fits in this process. |
| 03:04:18.71 | Joan Cox | The only challenge is that I sit on both of, cannabis working group and the legislative committee. And so we want to avoid a Brown Act So we have to make sure that the two tasks are completely separate. |
| 03:04:34.69 | Cleveland Knowles | Okay, well maybe we'll just keep that in this group for now But maybe if at some point you feel like it's worth farming out, the subgroup can make that recommendation. Yes, right? |
| 03:04:49.07 | Ray Withey | You know, I would recommend that instead of, you know, it's going to come back to the city council, the new city council, and you're going to have the same go around in circles. My suggestion is the working group or whoever. Um, actually moves the ball forward and comes back with the draft requests for qualifications. So you've got a specific document that council can analyze and comment on. rather than another discussion about process come back with an actual work product. that is the request for call. I think that's where we're potentially at and heading a request for qualifications. We'll draft it. And then you've got the council has something to really get their arms around. |
| 03:05:36.79 | Joan Cox | I think that's totally doable. it was. |
| 03:05:40.97 | Cleveland Knowles | I'm sorry. All right. I think we can close this conversation out and move on to item B. which is our pilot outdoor dining program on Caledonia Street. end of season report and request for direction. And I believe that our director of public works, Kevin McGowan is going to lead us through this discussion. |
| 03:06:11.32 | Kevin McGowan | Good evening Mayor and City Council members. With me this evening is Mike Langford, your Parks Director, and we have a short presentation for you this evening on the outdoor dining pilot program on Caledonia Street. In addition, David Parisi from Parisi Transportation Group is present as well. Questions. And with that, the first part of this, we're going to kind of tag this presentation. So Mike's going to go ahead and take the controls here, and I will help with moving the slides forward. So I'm going to share my screen at this point. |
| 03:06:58.50 | Kevin McGowan | Oops, I have some issues. There we go. All right. Hopefully everybody can see my presentation. And Mike, it's up to you at this point. |
| 03:07:15.71 | Kevin McGowan | Mike, are you there? |
| 03:07:21.72 | Kevin McGowan | Mr. Langford? |
| 03:07:28.13 | Cleveland Knowles | So we cannot hear Mike. |
| 03:07:30.41 | Mike Langford | Okay, how about now? |
| 03:07:32.58 | Cleveland Knowles | Yeah. |
| 03:07:33.77 | Mike Langford | Yeah. |
| 03:07:36.87 | Kevin McGowan | Yes. |
| 03:07:38.07 | Mike Langford | Yes, great. Okay. Yeah. Little issue there. unmuting there. Well, Again, good to see all of you. home. You can go back to the first slide there. Um, South Korea, as well as the rest of the country, was hit hard by the pandemic and many businesses may be closing, including restaurants. And until recently, the restaurants were not allowed to have indoor dining. However, outdoor dining has been permitted. On June 4th, 2020, the city council granted city manager Adam Pulitzer, the emergency powers to allow businesses and restaurants to use public properties such as sidewalks, parks, plazas and streets. to conduct business. that Southern California or Southern California, Southern Caledonia has often been referred to as restaurant row or locals restaurants. but it plays host to both visitors and residents alike. Now, for those of you that have been down there, which I think would be everybody, know that there's not a lot of room for tables and chairs on the sidewalk This is especially complicated due to the social distancing measures that had to be in place. So working with the restaurants, our immediate goal was to turn this |
| 03:08:57.85 | Mike Langford | into this. |
| 03:09:02.80 | Mike Langford | Okay. |
| 03:09:02.83 | Kevin McGowan | Yeah. |
| 03:09:02.85 | Mike Langford | Thank you. |
| 03:09:03.91 | Kevin McGowan | Thank you. |
| 03:09:07.41 | Mike Langford | OK. |
| 03:10:56.74 | Mike Langford | REMOVAL OF BOLLARDS AS THOSE SHOULD BE those shown in the photo here. were installed to make the process easier. safer. and more visually appealing. To help us to install these, the city received a $20,000 quick build grant from the transportation authority of Marin to help offset the cost of the ballers. Next slide. The original project end date for the program was October 16th. However, given the good weather, the program has been continued into November. and we expect it to continue as long as the weather cooperates and it is conducive to outdoor dining. Now here's the big question is, Is it worth it? Well, all you had to do was ask any of the hundreds of patients who visited Caledonia Street and dined on the street and they will tell you yes. What did the restaurant say? Next slide. Divinos overall a 40 50% increase in sales after the street was open for dining Even more powerful is a quote from Susanna from F3. Next slide. closure of pine. Johnson block of Caledonia has been an essential, has been essential to our survival over the summer. It has allowed us to generate just enough income to stay afloat and for that, we're extremely appreciative to the city. So yes, it was a success. Now we're going to need to end the program. |
| 03:12:19.00 | Unknown | Thank you. |
| 03:12:19.04 | Sean Cleary | How are we going? |
| 03:12:19.31 | Unknown | Thank you. |
| 03:12:21.16 | Mike Langford | as soon as we get some rain. However, based on feedback from the Parks and Recreation Commission, and then we'll see EDAC. and most importantly, the restaurants and the public The first recommendation tonight that the program be reinstated in the spring of 2021. Now for the next recommendation, I'd like to turn it back over to Kevin. our public works director. |
| 03:12:43.00 | Kevin McGowan | Mayor Mrakas, M.D.: Thank you, Mike a couple things to add here only a few more slides so throughout the pilot program city staff has been soliciting input from the public on how this program is working this quote from the restaurant owner kind of sums up the feelings related to the closure. A permanent block closure would create a destination for Sausalito locals. It would help build a sense of community, not to mention beautifying the street and creating another outdoor space for residents to enjoy. It would also greatly benefit the businesses, not only on the block, but the whole of Caledonia Street. In addition, the Pedestrian Bicycle Advisory Committee has consistently been including this project on their monthly meetings. The BPAC has welcomed comments from the public and has provided some valuable input to staff, such that they support the implementation of the pilot program between Pine and Johnson Street on Caledonia in 2021. If council recommends moving forward with this closure next season, staff will work closely with the Pedestrian Bicycle Advisory Committee and other stakeholders to implement modifications that provide additional safety measures for all modes of travel. And report back to council in the spring before implementing the next season's pilot program in this area. David Parisi of Parisi Transportation Associates, Also provided several other concepts to improve parking on adjacent streets as well as additional alternatives for the closure area. It is anticipated that these concepts will be discussed at the Bicycle Pedestrian Advisory Committee meetings with recommendations, if any, being presented by staff to Council in the spring of 2021. Staff anticipates seeking from the public, seeking input from the public through various committees, such as EDAC and others. Staff is requesting Council staff requests Council receive this report and provide direction to staff on whether to proceed with the Caledonia street pilot program next year. In addition, staff is seeking Council's guidance on whether to pursue any additional studies regarding modifying the circulation parking or expanding the closure area along Caledonia. It's important to note that this has been a project where the members of the city have gathered together to develop a common goal. David Parisi has volunteered his time to develop alternatives for the city and provide his professional opinions. CAM has supported the city during this difficult time by providing funding to support the installation of infrastructure. And of course, the members of the community have been receptive, cooperative, and enthusiastic about trying something new that ultimately supports everyone in the area. With that, Mike, David, and I are available for questions and comments. |
| 03:16:07.15 | Kevin McGowan | So with that, I will see sharing my screen. And that concludes our presentation. |
| 03:16:13.35 | Cleveland Knowles | Great, thank you both. Thank you, Mike. Thank you, Kevin. Appreciate that presentation. Are there questions from, and I also wanted to thank David Parisi who's for his um contributions to the city on this issue. So on this matter, thank you so much. Okay. Are there questions from council members for staff or from David Parisi, who's with us tonight? Thank you. |
| 03:16:41.60 | Jill Hoffman | Ciao. |
| 03:16:42.95 | Alice Merrill | questions. |
| 03:16:43.39 | Jill Hoffman | Thanks and great job. Great staff report. know as always and um, know great job really this summer just reacting quickly and getting getting a plan together and getting, you know, a grant and I mean, that was just really, I thought, THE END OF THE END OF THE Great, great. reaction from the city. and from the residents too. But I had a couple of questions that I emailed, I think Kevin, you know, an hour ago. about some of the that aren't really particularly drivers, but I think for right now, but they will be for next spring. We're looking at going forward with this, if we're not still in an emergency sort of COVID situation with, you know, fingers crossed we're not. THEIR OWNERS. you know, about the, about, staff. THEIR CITY. you know, about how much staff and I'm not against it. I just think we need to know. how much staff is is. working to do set up and break down the, whose tables and chairs those are. I mean, those kinds of things were things that I was interested in. and particularly addressing next spring. If we're looking at a more permanent seasonal use between Pine and Johnson. So, I don't know. I don't know, Kevin, if we even need to talk about that because we're done for this season, but I think I guess I'm just trying to highlight it for next spring when we start coming back. You know, also brings to mind a point that Ray made talking about this program about how to make it a more robust program and a more welcoming sort of area for people to come to. and keeping with what Mill Valley has done and what I've seen done in other cities, throughout the pandemic. I don't know if those are questions or I think those are questions. Yes. Kevin, are those part of the conversation that you're gonna have next spring? |
| 03:18:41.12 | Kevin McGowan | Yes, they are. I think Mike kind of addressed some of the things about the tables. And remember, this is a pilot program, so things We welcome these type of comments so that we can make modifications as we move our way along. Mike, did you want to add anything? |
| 03:18:55.13 | Mike Langford | I would just say, you know, this year we were able to loan the tables and chairs to the restaurants, but next year Hopefully on Friday nights, we'll be back to having jazz and blues by the bay. So the restaurants will have to make other accommodations And speaking with the restaurants, if they knew that this was going to be a longer term thing, they would be more than willing to make the investments in additional furnishings for outside This year, everything just came on really fast. And we were very fortunate that we We had everything. in stock, you should say. to get them going, even providing tablecloths the first couple weeks. again as things got going, but moving forward, You know, you said these are things we're going to talk about in the spring. No, these are the things we're going to talk about this winter so that we're ready for the spring. |
| 03:19:47.46 | Heidi Scoble | Okay, great, thanks. |
| 03:19:51.56 | Joan Cox | Joan? Thank you. And I want to endorse everything Councilmember Hoffman said about the report about the creativity and speed with which City staff moved forward with this program to really help. our businesses that were floundering in the wake of closures. mandated by the COVID-19 pandemic. THE END OF THE END OF THE one of the when this first came to the council and we delegated authority to the city manager, we did hear objections from residents who had very little notice and opportunity to be heard about their impacts and to weigh in on our on our process. for you know, closing the streets, and whatever, however we did that and which streets we would close. I know that we've had PBAC and EDAC meetings since then, but I don't think this city council has ever Um, CONSIDERED THIS . as a business item, as we are this evening. And I'm, I'm, I'm wondering you've provided us with all of this feedback from the restaurants and the businesses that but do you have feedback? from the residents who had concerns about this program at the outset who expressed those concerns to us when we heard the initial staff report. |
| 03:21:27.20 | Kevin McGowan | So that's a very good question. I'll let Mike weigh in about his interaction with the folks down there during the closure. From a pedestrian bicycle advisory committee perspective, we haven't heard too many comments. too many complaints necessarily about the closure. We have had this on the PBAC meeting several different times, and we do welcome that input so that we can modify anything that we have in place to address some of these concerns. But I haven't heard too many. |
| 03:22:01.24 | Joan Cox | Yeah, I asked because I did receive some letters this afternoon from residents who would like to see us engage in our normal process before automatically renewing the pilot program Why not? you know, have a business item where we go through a normal process and then just move forward with a project, but make sure that we publicize it in the currents give those residents an opportunity to weigh in. I don't think there are any concerns we can't address. But I just want to always be transparent and give them an opportunity to be heard. I'm not sure everyone realizes that the PBAC meetings the pedestrian Bicycle advisory meetings are where they can talk about outdoor dining on Caledonia Street. So that isn't always a logical nexus for all of our residents who aren't tracking things as closely. as we obviously are. But, and again, I fully support the program. I just want to make sure we are very inclusive in the process by which we identify its parameters moving forward. And I also want to thank David Parisi for his work thus far and for being here tonight to answer any questions that we might have. |
| 03:23:16.71 | Cleveland Knowles | And so thank you, Joan, for that. I do think that is the part of the purpose of tonight and the reason to agendize this as a business item at the council so that we can go forward and get more you know, that as people can weigh in tonight, and if we decide to pursue this, for the spring, then we'll be on the path of doing that with more public input at PBAC. along the way. But we need to start now, I think, as Kevin and Mike were saying, if we're going to have anything ready in the spring. So that's what tonight. It's about. Anyone else have questions? Um, so I guess my only question and maybe for David Preseo, maybe for Mr. McGowan is the scope of additional items, uh, that might be considered. Um, at the payback and what that might include. |
| 03:24:19.43 | Kevin McGowan | So that's a very good question. And, um, David has participated in the PBAC meetings several times already and has presented some sketches to that group. in relation to basically two kind of concepts. One has to do with circulation, and the other one has to do with parking. So I'm not too sure if David, if you would like to voice an opinion, I see you there on the call. |
| 03:24:45.18 | David Parisi | Yes, I've been here the whole time. Good evening, members. |
| 03:24:46.74 | Kevin McGowan | Thank you. |
| 03:24:50.13 | David Parisi | We've looked at some initial ideas, not just for the block between Johnson and But we were asked to also get some input on potential process between pine and turning as well as Tourney and Pine themselves between Caledonia and Bridgeway. So, And these are all just very draft, again, looking at different ways to configure the street for pedestrians, bikes, cars, and parking. I think those are also backup slides, I believe in the staff report, I THINK I'M GOING TO BE Feel free to take a look at those. But these are things that will all be evaluated, I think, come this winter. if we are to do more work on this. |
| 03:25:35.67 | Cleveland Knowles | Okay, but I guess my question was, if you're asking the council to authorize staff to go forward, I just, for transparency, I think it would be helpful for people to really understand what we are. I have been at the PBAC meeting so I know Uh, what is within the scope of your proposals? But I think for other council members and the public, I think it's important to understand what we would be authorizing staff to take a look at. So maybe it's worth, just a couple of minutes. on that. And I see Adam pulling his areas here. |
| 03:26:15.51 | Adam Politzer | Yeah, Madam Mayor, just to be clear, if you go back to the staff report itself, you know, the process started with a meeting with the two Council members which was Councilmember Burns and Councilmember Riley at the time meeting with the chair and the vice chair of PBAC with Kevin McGowan and David Carrizi and myself on Caledonia Street. looking at the entire block, looking from Napa all the way to Johnson, at the circulation, parking. traffic calming. pedestrian and bicycle facilities. And so I think what we're asking the council is that not just looking at the Southern end of Caledonia Street where we've had the outdoor dining and some of the circulation. improvements that would be needed just to continue that process, which is what I think Mr. Prezi was about to talk about but we really need to know if the council wants to look at the entire entire six blocks and look at is it one way Is it, you know, are we looking at enhancing and improving both safety and parking. and slowing down speeds on the street. So that's a bigger undertaking But it is important if we are going to look at that, we do that work now. for direction on council to study that. the council and then come back with options and if the council does not want to move forward with any of those options when staff comes back in the you know, then we didn't lose anything other than exploring something that's been discussed for the last three or four years at a conceptual level. So those are kind of your two requests tonight and and and i think it may make sense to look at them as one request study the circulation that includes safety, and other improvements. to the entire street. that also includes what elements would be needed if you only decide to do the outdoor dining at the end. You still have circulation issues. You still have safety issues that have to be addressed. Clearly, you have signage issues that we would need to improve upon just to help with the circulation. So I just wanted to weigh in there to make it clear, and I agree with you, Madam Mayor. We want to be very transparent on how we move forward so the public can participate in all of the various meetings that will be scheduled between now and next spring. |
| 03:28:48.42 | Unknown | Thank you. |
| 03:28:48.55 | Adam Politzer | Thank you. |
| 03:28:48.64 | Cleveland Knowles | Thank you. |
| 03:28:53.94 | Cleveland Knowles | Okay, anything else to add at this point or should we open it up to public comment? Okay, let's open up to public comment. Um, I've got Paul and Lisa and then Vicki Nichols. If there's anybody else. And I think if that's the only Is there anyone else that wants to speak? Could you, we've got three speakers. So I think we'll put the clock back at three minutes. |
| 03:29:20.26 | Paul (Driver's Market owner) | minutes. Okay. |
| 03:29:24.87 | Ray Withy | Okay, go ahead. |
| 03:29:27.10 | Paul (Driver's Market owner) | I asked. He said, |
| 03:29:33.29 | Morgan Gallagher | Hello? |
| 03:29:34.10 | Paul (Driver's Market owner) | Yeah, hold on. |
| 03:29:39.43 | Paul (Driver's Market owner) | Okay, I guess is my video coming up or not? Yeah. That's good. |
| 03:29:43.72 | Cleveland Knowles | It was on and then I think you turned it off. |
| 03:29:46.01 | Paul (Driver's Market owner) | to start my video. There we go. So I'm one of the owners of Driver's Market, and I want to start by saying we fully support the restaurant plaza down the street. I'm only a restaurant myself in San Francisco. I'm well aware of the difficulties of surviving in this incredible time. So, The only thing I would say about that Plaza, it really needs improvement on unifying aesthetic. And in order to accomplish that, you have that leadership hopefully from the merchants, but also from the city so that there's some coherent plan in making that a more appealing location. But other than that, you know, we are completely forward and completely supportive. The only thing I need to point out is that our market drivers It's the only market I know without a parking lot. And we are incredibly dependent on street parking. We have a lot of older clientele that need have a close availability Um, to their cars after they're through shopping. And we do have, uh, thanks to see if Sausalito, we have enough green zones that we're able to manage our business and, and, and the parking is working for all the residents here. So to disrupt that would be would be really create a lot of difficulty for us as a business and for the residents as a who's, you know, who use us as a service. So I'd be very hesitant to change the parking structure, the parking availability, in the in the blocks. of the, one block in each direction that surround us. I'm hopeful that that when the dust clears that basically that our parking situation will not be disrupted. I mean, that's basically my comment, yeah. When I heard that there was a possibility they're gonna eliminate parking, in its entirety, on Caldon Street. You know, obviously I was very concerned because that would be almost a death blow test have no parking so. That's just. my thoughts on this. That's it. Thank you. |
| 03:32:05.67 | Cleveland Knowles | Right, thank you. I don't think elimination of parking on Caledonia was ever in the cards, so, but. Quite well taken. Vicki Nichols, welcome. And then Elizabeth Nebat. |
| 03:32:19.52 | Vicki Nichols | Hi, good evening, Mayor and Council members. I wanted to just clarify a couple of things. I've been listening to this from the very beginning. I am very proud of the very fond of our city manager I disagree with the way this was presented This was presented in cobbled on to the emergency services he received to set up the on-street parking This project is a project worthy of planning commission review. That confirmation from Mike Langford and Kevin McGowan last time, If you look at this project under emergency review that Adam has, there's no recourse. There's no ability to appeal this project. There's no other review of this. There was not one comment said tonight, and everybody that loves this, about the residents. We have not been consulted. We lost $20. spaces in that first block then we've pushed down and you haven't heard from us because we're not complaining. We want the residents to be successful. You have not even talked about any of the other businesses that are in that block except for the four restaurants. So you're not even showing tonight what was presented on June 4th, which is a 13 page report that I have not heard one person say will not go through, you're telling us how it's going to be modified. So the system is really, It really stinks and you will hear a lot more people responding to this. We have just not come and given the comments because we felt like we had more of a due process here. the idea of having to make the street one way is ridiculous. We've got a bike lane on Caledonia, a half a block away. We do not need a bike lane. If you cut off, THE PEOPLE THAT need parking here, you're going to kill these small businesses. We can't park now. I can't park since the weekend parking. If you don't get back by a certain day, There is no parking and I pay for my parking. I know we're needing to transition to bikes. We are not there yet completely. And I also, frankly resent how one committee that has a paid employee of the bicycle coalition on their committee. is driving this project when we're not really talking about it and it's not coming as a business item, it's coming as almost a done, from this committee of a group of people that live nowhere near Caledonia Street. I'm very upset about this. It's very unfair. And I don't think we're going to let it go easily. So I hope you hear us. If you need more, proof of, uh, the discomfort level, I'm happy to organize that because people- |
| 03:35:22.62 | Heidi Scoble | The three minute time limit has elapsed. |
| 03:35:27.99 | Cleveland Knowles | Thank you, Vicki. Elizabeth Nebat. |
| 03:35:34.84 | Elizabeth Nebat | Hello. Can you hear me? Thank you. |
| 03:35:38.21 | Ray Withy | Yeah. |
| 03:35:38.28 | Elizabeth Nebat | Thank you. Well, some of you may know that I'm one of the restaurant owners on the block of Caledonia Street that's been closed over this summer. I think I speak for all of us when I... say how much we've appreciated and benefited from that closure. I don't think any of us probably would have made it This far without it. And given the circumstances and the need to have tables six feet apart And even now when we are allowed to have some indoor dining Our restaurants are so small that 25% is really the maximum if you're gonna actually keep people six feet apart 50%. is still the same number of people at that distance. So we're really, and I actually don't know, um, exactly what date this is going to end. It sounds like it's going to go on weather permitting. But you know, rain is coming and we're all very nervous about what that means for us, you know, from, a financial standpoint and whether our businesses will survive I know that we do have support on our block from people other than the restaurants The new shop, Salty, Angela's been very involved with us. in support of this and She feels like even making it a plaza and having it permanently um, close to traffic. is something that benefits her business. So I don't think that, and I don't know, I know it impacts parking, but we did come up with an idea to reorganize the parking on the corridor of the block that's still open. so that it would be, diagonal parking and gain some parking spaces back. but we're very aware of the parking issues everyone faces and we face those as well. And we always have. And I've been involved in a parking committee for many years. to try to get employees off the street and find an employee parking lot away somewhere. But anyway, for another story. So I think that We're very open to finding solutions to the parking. and also being able to support the businesses. |
| 03:38:08.13 | Cleveland Knowles | Great, thank you so much. Alice Merrill, welcome back. |
| 03:38:13.73 | Alice Merrill | Thank you. I will agree with Paul that if the parking that. I saw that picture and it looked like it was pretty much gone up and down the up and down Caledonia that maybe it would be closed. And it just popped in on the very beginning of this mess. And yes, we're in a mess. It's a terrible mess and we're very happy to have the restaurants have their tables out. But that doesn't mean that 10 years from now, five years from now, You need to be doing that. And to the thought of just closing down Caledonia, because somebody who, is a fancy person on the Bike and Pet Committee, which is something that who's tuned into that? All of a sudden there it was, this fancy drawing that's closing everything up. I was horrified. And I'm with Vicki. I don't understand how you can just, race in and say, oh, this was fun. We'll do this. Great. I don't get it. That's not... That's not how I think it should go. Sorry that that's what it looks like. You guys think it's the correct way to go. Thank you. |
| 03:39:32.98 | Cleveland Knowles | Okay, thank you. Trisha Smith, welcome back. Hey. I took a break for him. |
| 03:39:39.96 | Tricia Smith | little bit, sorry. . Bye. I did come back for this because I have enjoyed the block being closed down. and I think Jill said something and I'm glad it's being thought about that. If it's gonna continue, It's key. have some beautification going on. I mean, you know, take a message from Hanson's I live below above Hanson's and you know, what they've done with a couple of tablecloths is amazing. So talk to people on the EDAC and it's also a little beautiful and I think there's the potential to fundraise for that and the potential for volunteers you know instead of having the staff doing all of that we have a lot of people in this town that enjoy volunteering their time and are always looking for projects to do. And that certainly is something that could be happening. be happy to helping either. |
| 03:40:36.04 | Cleveland Knowles | those capacities. Great, thank you so much. Susanna Sylvester. Hope I said your last name correctly. |
| 03:40:51.40 | Cleveland Knowles | Hi, can you hear me? |
| 03:40:52.14 | Susanna Sylvester | Thank you. |
| 03:40:54.43 | Cleveland Knowles | Say yes we can. |
| 03:40:55.02 | Susanna Sylvester | Yes, okay. Thanks. My name is Susanna Suvest and I'm a restaurant owner on Caledonia Street. The restaurants on Caledonia Street cannot thank the city enough for the efforts they have made to date the Johnson Pine Block of Caledonia Strait. it has really been essential to our survival over the last few months. Unfortunately, we also feel that we are stuck in limbo with the city and have a very uncertain future. Asteria Divino, Fast Food Francais, Sartage, and Sandrino. I've applied for a joint parklet with the city over a month ago, as the future of the block closure, be it permanent or temporary, has been so unclear. Unfortunately, we still do not have an answer from the city in regard to the parklet approval, leaving our future up in the air for the winter months. San Francisco just announced today they are closing all indoor dining. I'm guessing there's a good chance Marin may follow in that direction as well. WITH NO TIMELY PARK LOAD APPROVAL AND NO STREET CLOSURE we may not survive this pandemic. Why not take advantage of this time of hardship and turn it into something positive and visionary, such as a permanent block closure or street closure, that can be enjoyed by the community, not only in coming months, for years to come as well. the block of Caledonia Street or the full Paladonia Street. between Johnson and Pine would save the businesses there. Without it, I'm sure you'll see many empty storefronts. Thanks for your time. |
| 03:42:24.06 | Cleveland Knowles | Great, thank you. Leslie Allen. |
| 03:42:31.70 | Cleveland Knowles | Welcome. |
| 03:42:32.17 | Leslie Allen | Thank you. |
| 03:42:35.43 | Leslie Allen | I don't know if you can see or hear me. My name is Leslie Allen and I've lived in Sausalito for almost 20 years. |
| 03:42:38.11 | Unknown | My name is |
| 03:42:43.56 | Leslie Allen | And I am a I've just lost my video, so I'm not certain I'm even on this call. |
| 03:42:51.46 | Cleveland Knowles | Oh, you are. We can hear you. |
| 03:42:53.22 | Leslie Allen | So forgive me for that interruption. I am a frequent diner and shopper on Caledonia Street. I moved here from Mill Valley specifically for that street. And I have been a patron at Dovino since Elizabeth Nebo purchased the restaurant AND EVEN FOR A FEW YEARS BEFORE THAT, And I was drawn here. by the culture that Caledonia Street provides to people outside Sausalito. And I think it would be anathema to Sausalito's culture, to not do all we can to foster the aesthetics of the street while we're in crisis. And this is a crisis. and to help hold one another up. by helping our restaurants that feed us and feed us well, that we're lucky to even be able to do that. and to support our local businesses. You know, it's... a great expenditure out of my pocketbook to eat downtown when it would be much better for me to do all my shopping and cooking from drivers, but I do my best there as well. I WANT TO TALK ABOUT I urge everybody to appreciate the importance of that street to people well outside Sausalito. and Marin County. I have many friends from the East Bay that come here. and from San Francisco. a death to them as well. to have these businesses not open for their routines that were their getaways from their homes. and just whatever we can do to to take the visionary approach. I really love the use of that word in describing what we've had to do. to keep our local businesses alive. there are families here in town And I wouldn't harp so much on the parking Yeah. I knew that the alternative or the consequence would be losing that culture. so we can help our neighbors perhaps solve some of the parking problems. I may be offering some of our off-street parking that's available nearby. to support our residents through this while we in turn support our our local businesses. I'm sorry to be so wordy, but I feel very passionate about and keeping Caledonia Street alive and ticking as a cultural zone of great import in the Bay Area. Thank you. |
| 03:45:27.57 | Cleveland Knowles | Great, thank you. Jackie Selman. And then Julie Vera and I understand Tom Parrazzo cannot raise his hand. So after Julie, Tom. |
| 03:45:43.48 | Cleveland Knowles | So, Jackie Selman. Josh. Oh, I am so sorry. Welcome, Jacques. |
| 03:45:52.97 | Jackie Selman | that. Okay. I just, uh, can you hear me? Okay. |
| 03:45:57.64 | Cleveland Knowles | Yes. |
| 03:45:58.69 | Jackie Selman | Okay. I want to speak in total favor of a permanent outdoor dining solution. there on caledonia street i think it's a wonderful thing and if it would make permanent obviously then the local businesses would have more permanent facilities that could be made much more attractive i think it could be a very very special and wonderful place i have lived for 50 years on litho street and i see no, uh, I see no problem with circulation. I go down to Caledonia to a bridge way and turn right. If I want to go, South. where I turn left on Caledonia and and go to B Street and get on and go north. And I don't see why everyone else in the, The Newtown area couldn't do that. Mr. Parisi, of course, is an expert on that. he could comment on it, but I don't see that there could be any complaint about that. But I do not think there should be a bicycle lane because I've found it when you have bicycle lanes, when you're a pedestrian, and you're crossing them. or if you're sharing a bicycle lane, It makes it very uncomfortable. And I think Caledonia Street should be for pedestrians and for cars that are just coming locally. I don't think that through traffic needs to go down Caligonia Street. So that's the end of my comment. Thank you. |
| 03:47:34.91 | Cleveland Knowles | Great, thank you. Julie and then Tom Parrazzo. |
| 03:47:46.74 | Julie Vieira | Hi, everybody. Can you hear me? |
| 03:47:48.75 | Cleveland Knowles | Yes, we can. Welcome. |
| 03:47:50.50 | Julie Vieira | Thank you. Um, I'm Julie Vieira, I'm the CEO of the Sausalito Chamber of Commerce. And I just want to encourage the city council to assist the restaurants on Caledonia street in any way. that you can. I do see us going back to from the meetings I've been in this week to 25% indoor dining. That may be announced as soon as Monday or Tuesday of next week, which is going to hurt our local restaurants. So anything that we can do to support these restaurants on Caledonia would be helpful for them. to make it through the winter to springtime, because if we don't help them now, They might not be here in the springtime in this whole conversation. won't be happening back then. Um, I understand about the parking. I understand that it is difficult. Sausalito is not an easy place to park. but I would rather be inconvenienced a little bit for to keep businesses open. And I do understand we have residents that have issues that do need local parking and maybe there is something that we can do with that. Yes, if it is a per more permanent, we can do some beautification, but I really do encourage the city council to, Support the businesses do all we can. And the chamber is here to help in any way that we can. |
| 03:49:25.20 | Cleveland Knowles | Thank you. |
| 03:49:25.32 | Julie Vieira | Thank you. |
| 03:49:25.75 | Unknown | Thank you. |
| 03:49:27.45 | Cleveland Knowles | Thank you. Tom Corazzo? |
| 03:49:42.96 | Cleveland Knowles | So we cannot hear Tom. I don't know if he is on the |
| 03:49:46.72 | Tom Parrazzo | Am I unmuted now? |
| 03:49:48.37 | Cleveland Knowles | There you go. Thank you. |
| 03:49:49.27 | Tom Parrazzo | All right, thank you, Madam Mayor. City Council and staff. I'm speaking as a resident someone who's had almost 50 years experience and safety, risk control and risk management and was concerned about the safety of the diners on Caledonia Street. And I certainly understand that since my first view, there's been an upgrade with the Ballards. but I'm a little upset that The bike and pedestrian committee is even looking at this and seeking to have more bike access but we're not allowing for fire department access. with the Balliards and possibly closing the entire street off Uh, the safety of our residents. and the businesses with a decrease in fire department response because of street closure needs to be looked at I think we could solve the problem a lot easier by allowing parklets and structures like in other towns in San Francisco. that have vehicle protection. have on-street parking for the disabled and others. but the street is open. or vehicles so people can get there. as well as the fire department. I'm not sure. So again, I totally support trying to support our team local businesses, but I think there's a better way than closing off the entire street. So, That's my two cents. Thank you. |
| 03:51:29.05 | Cleveland Knowles | Great, thank you. Okay, I'm not seeing any additional hands raised on this item up I do see one last one if there's anyone else who would like to speak, please raise your hand and so be as key welcome. |
| 03:51:44.05 | Unknown | Thanks. Good evening. I'll keep it short. I just want to endorse the proposed motions from staff to make this It is essential to them stay in business at least as long as the COVID crisis continues. It can always be reappraised if the people are not going to be able to do it. Thankfully. And hopefully, the crisis ends sooner than we fear. the permanent, Potential improvement is really captured in the third motion, which is to do this, to look at a circulation study And cognizant of some of the comments here tonight, and also in the mail in the draft, it might be considered to add explicitly not just including feedback from PBAC and EDAC parks and recreation but also from residents or those who might be directly affected by any circulation changes and really that the goal of circulation improvement isn't just to serve businesses, but to look for outcomes that actually perhaps improve circulation to those businesses without impacting the or perhaps even improving the and access for locals. And to the extent that isn't possible, And that there are those who are who have to pay the price for the benefit to the vast majority. we may wish to include explicit direction to look at ways of mitigating or compensating those people in some way for them bearing the cost of the improvement to the general community. Thank you very much. |
| 03:53:28.12 | Cleveland Knowles | Great, thank you. Okay, not seeing any additional public comments. So I'm going to close public comment and bring it back up to the council. Is there anyone who would like to start or any other additional questions for staff? |
| 03:53:53.97 | Cleveland Knowles | don't all jump in at once. If nobody else wants to start, I will start. closure of Caledonia between Pine and Johnson. I have just found that to be a really amazing community asset. And I just like to step back and put it in a larger global context of how many cities and small towns and business districts have been revived. and then kind of kept alive during COVID. with really similar street closures, parklets, kind of other methods. and how many people are just really enjoying their public spaces and their roadways in a way that they haven't been able to in the past. And I know a lot of residents have told me that they just really love kind of the European feel that, you know, it's just been such a pleasure for them to be able to, |
| 03:54:54.81 | Unknown | you Thank you. |
| 03:54:58.87 | Cleveland Knowles | enjoy Caledonia in a new way. So I am very much in favor of exploring a you know, either a pilot for a year or a permanent closure of that segment. I recognize the safety concerns that Mr. Perrazzo was talking about. I think the fire department did get comfortable with a lane reserved for fire access on the, um, |
| 03:55:26.41 | Unknown | Thank you. |
| 03:55:26.48 | Ray Withy | Thank you. |
| 03:55:26.53 | Unknown | to be. |
| 03:55:28.46 | Cleveland Knowles | one side of the street and that they thought that that was adequate emergency access, but I think that's something that we need to continue to look at. I also agree with all of the comments about making the experience more uniform, more aesthetically pleasing, nicer with increased investment, hopefully by volunteers in the business community, but with guidance and |
| 03:55:50.66 | Ray Withy | community. |
| 03:55:54.17 | Cleveland Knowles | coordination from the city. If. necessary. I also think that a lot of other communities have explored more winterization of the spaces, both for COVID and going forward. And I think that's something that should also uh, be considered. um, In terms of kind of a bigger look at Caledonia. I think that that is something that we should pursue. I think It could be. really vastly benefit residents as well as businesses. I think slowing speeds on Caledonia is a really important goal. I've been really shocked how fast some people drive down Caledonia, especially up at the north end I'm not sure. So I think there's a lot of families living there. I think a lot of seniors, I think it would be a big benefit I think parking is a big issue. I remember when Joe and Tom were first looking at this, I'm kind of a subcommittee. You were looking at some angled parking options that would increase parking so that we could then also increased daylighting around the intersections to make them safer. So I think there's some creative approaches that could either increase or retain the same number of parking spaces while providing a better environment. Um, I, you know, I do not think, um, that there is a proposal or if there is a proposal to remove parking, then I don't think that's viable for a local commercial. district. So I don't think that's on the table. And then just to respond to a couple of comments that were made, The PBAC has been asked to take a look at this and to provide a space for community input by. staff. I don't think this is something that has come from them. This is an idea that the city council I generated early on in COVID. and the Bike Coalition. member is an alternative, you know, he's an alternative member. He's not staff. to the PIVAC, but he does come from the Marin County Bike Coalition to make sure that they can help identify grant funding opportunities and to weigh in on proposals. So I just wanted to clarify that. Um, so I'd be in favor of, of asking staff to look at some long-term options on Caledonia as well, recognizing that we definitely need to have robust public input and from all segments, commercial, resident, and not only local residents, but citywide residents as well. out. Anyone else? Ciao. |
| 03:58:54.70 | Joe Burns | Thank you for, you covered a lot of the points, Mayor, I, I support. going forth. Long before COVID, this should have been a plaza, this stretch right here. Um, It's we don't need that wide of street as a runway for fast cars. Like you mentioned, I'm glad you mentioned that because we do have a speed issue on Caledonia that can be softened with better striping and a reduction of of pavement. going forward I think you know the intent of the Parisi David Parisi studies and when we originally talked about this was picking up those spots like you mentioned so you know, we might ultimately lose seven, eight spots on all of Caledonia. But you know, right past, you know, down on the north end of Caledonia, those businesses all the business owners park right in front of their businesses. I mean, you know, they're not worried about customers. They pull right up and park there all day, right in front of their own spots. So South End's a little tighter and we've got to make some of those up. And then when the theater comes in, we have to consider whatever is going to be in there for their parking. But more importantly, their drop off, because they're still and I go out so many evenings walking in the summer before COVID. There is parking on Bridgeway near and even south of Dumpy. It's a matter of just walking a block often. But for the residents, yes, absolutely. We need to figure out a good spot and how to maximize our parking down there. So I'm in favor of three and advancing that forward. And I'll say when we get to that point where the city really takes control of the circulation and the street, once you get to the plaza, we'll need to be involved in the infrastructure investment. But the plaza merchants, as Elizabeth has mentioned, and Suzanne working with Angela at Salty, they have a wonderful design area that includes a lot of things. And communities all over Marin and the state of California are doing these types of things. where you have a bike rack and you have a tot area and you have Um, the eating areas and you have things that are plaza oriented. They have a wonderful design that they're ready to put into the public domain as well for consideration. there. They have ideas. We do our part on the street. And I think we can really commit to something which should have been there the whole time, which is a nice plaza to bring all those businesses together. |
| 04:01:35.28 | Cleveland Knowles | Great, thanks. Anyone else have comments? Thank you. |
| 04:01:39.35 | Morgan Gallagher | Thank you. |
| 04:01:43.84 | Cleveland Knowles | Thank you. |
| 04:01:43.86 | Joan Cox | I'll go. |
| 04:01:44.47 | Cleveland Knowles | Thank you. Sorry. Didn't hear you. Go ahead, Joan. |
| 04:01:47.65 | Joan Cox | Okay, thanks. I also agree certainly with recommendation number three to direct staff to study future circulation improvements and bring back options for our consideration in March. I would like to make sure that when that happens that we publish that in the currents and that we, you know, any change that affects residents, we typically mail to residents within 600 feet of the potential affected area so that they have noticed that we're considering it. So I just want to make sure that we do the proper outreach to ensure we have proper transparency and proper participation so that everybody can weigh in, have their views heard, and we can determine the best solutions. I loved what Tom Barrazzo had to say. Thank you. about you know, parklets and solutions other than just closing off the entire street. I know that, you know, I've been in San Rafael and other areas and everybody adopts solutions unique to their needs in their area. And so there are lots of examples we can draw upon as we consider the best solution for Sausalito. But I certainly support and endorse everything we've done to support our businesses, I think we should continue to have that be a priority, but I just wanna ensure the process. is Um, transparent. I agree with Jacques. that perhaps we, retain our bicycle lane on on Bridgeway, not sure we need another parallel one on Caledonia, all And if you eliminate the bicycle lane, you'll eliminate me on my scooter speeding down at 25 miles an hour instead of the 15 mile an hour speed limit. So I apologize for... Speeding down. Caledonia. but in all seriousness, I know there are solutions that we can identify I just think we, I just want to make sure we do it in a. thoughtful and transparent way. rather than just wholesale directing staff to continue the closure of Johnson and Pine. I'd like to have Johnson and Pine included in the traffic study done by Parisi and have those Um, results published. I think Susan, I was unaware that the fire department had been pleased with the solution of having one lane available to them. A POLICYMAKER, I HAD NO IDEA, that solution had been identified because I don't Have time. to attend all the committee meetings such as PBAC. So I just, I wanna make sure that we, my big message is transparency. but I totally support this program and support our businesses. support identifying creative solutions. Thanks. |
| 04:05:03.77 | Cleveland Knowles | Right. |
| 04:05:04.16 | Jill Hoffman | Jill Irving? |
| 04:05:04.38 | Cleveland Knowles | THEM. |
| 04:05:06.34 | Jill Hoffman | Brady, do you want to go or do you want me to? I'm going to be fast. I'm gonna be fast. Um... I heard you made my comments before, You know the comments that the actually that everybody's made, you know, agree with Joan. I think that the people that are most, significantly affected. need to get some sort of notice that we're talking about. know significant changes in their access to their homes and and parking. especially the people that pay actually pay for the parking and you know, and then that'd be part of the effort. I also agree with the, the aspect that you look at the configuration of how we're gonna do the outdoor dining next summer to Jones Point. And if we do need to have a lane that's open and we can reconfigure something. something down there, you know, if I'm not mistaken, are all on one side of Caledonia Street between Johnson and Pine. I could see where we might be able to segregate out if that's what the Pre-Easy study shows. Anyway, those are my comments. Again, great job. to everybody involved in this. effort. |
| 04:06:21.52 | Heidi Scoble | Go ahead, man. |
| 04:06:22.57 | Ray Withey | Yeah, very, very briefly. I agree with pretty much everything that's been said. You know, a couple of points that maybe haven't been said. um, So the first is Uh, We, have a major major. economic development problem with Caledonia Street. This has been something we've been talking about for years. It's something that was brought up in the context of the general plan. It's been brought up by all the economic committees that we've had, that we've got to rejuvenate Caledonia Street in order to actually preserve the businesses that we've got there. If we're not careful, irrespective of COVID, If we're not careful there, residents are going to get more than their wish. They're going to be very if we don't do something, Residents are going to have ample parking because there's going to be no businesses there. So we've got to sort out how to rejuvenate the businesses there. That's something that we've been talking over and over again. Therefore, any circulation study needs to bear that in mind. We need to worry about the residents and their parking. It's very legitimate. We need to worry about businesses that rely on partners. Okay, but Caledonia Street does not need to become a through fair. to get from south to north or vice versa. And that's why I personally am opposed to a bike lane. Right? I mean, people should be stopping, parking their bikes and walking. And if they're in a car, they go to a place that can park to where they get the business. We should not be encouraging anybody. to actually use Caledonia Street as a method to actually get from the north to the south and vice versa. That's what Bridgeway is for. So that should be factored into the the study. And the second thing is, if we wait to get consensus, we've got to, we of course have got to get full transparency, totally agree with all of that. But in order to actually I'm, To get a circulation study done, yeah, that won't take its time. To actually get it. |
| 04:08:54.59 | Unknown | Thank you. |
| 04:08:56.77 | Ray Withey | A consensus? across all the stakeholders, it's going to take a long time. So I was a little worried with the way our city manager sort piece these together because I'm worried that we don't rely on getting a full plan for Caledonia Street in order for next spring and summer to get a dining plaza in place which I believe should become permanent and should be winterized for all the reasons that you know we've heard So I think we need to understand that let's not do one great big thing and you know, will take years. It's going to take years to reconfigure Calendale Street. realistically. that everybody will agree it can't. We do some experiments, we slap some paint down, try it out. If it don't work, wash it off and put a different stripe in and configuration down. It's not hard. You know, it's just not hard. So I like the idea of a plaza permanently. I close off that part permanently subject to safety vehicles. I would not have a bike lane. And I would have a circulation plan and an economic development plan that all works and synergizes together and not linked the plaza and the next year's next season's dining with us getting a permanent solution for Caledonian places can take much longer. So those are my thoughts. |
| 04:10:27.20 | Cleveland Knowles | Thank you everyone. I would like to go back to staff. We have a couple of things in front of us. One of them is receive and file the report. That's great. But then it says direct staff to continue the program in the spring of 2021, which I understand as the Closure of Caledonia would be one lane provided for fire access. And that is for, is that just for the spring of 2021, Kevin, or is that spring and summer of 2021? Our staff report just says spring. |
| 04:11:02.69 | Kevin McGowan | Sorry about that. I wrote that meaning that it would be starting in spring and continuing on the same way that we have for this last summertime, so all the way into the fall. |
| 04:11:14.27 | Cleveland Knowles | Okay, so I'm gonna, um, Okay, so that's the first thing we're being asked to do. And then the second thing is study future circulation improvements along Caledonia corridor and then come back. to the city council in the spring and that includes feedback from the committees that you mentioned and then we've I think all of us have hit the theme that local residents and other residents outreach is important as well. Okay, so. Does it? |
| 04:11:48.35 | Joe Burns | I think just to make it clear, it's to study the traffic for the purpose of having a permanent plaza It doesn't say that. |
| 04:12:01.45 | Cleveland Knowles | No. |
| 04:12:03.42 | Joe Burns | You know? |
| 04:12:05.11 | Cleveland Knowles | expansion. It's an expansion. It's I think it's more than that. but I can let Kevin or David Precy can include Okay. |
| 04:12:17.75 | Kevin McGowan | Madam Mayor, I think the intent was to study the expansion and to work with David Parisi on looking at some of those aspects of the actual closure. |
| 04:12:32.60 | Cleveland Knowles | I'm sorry, the closure or studied other issues along Caledonia. including potentially one way, including other traffic calming. |
| 04:12:46.05 | Kevin McGowan | That's correct. In and above the closure area. |
| 04:12:47.30 | Cleveland Knowles | But, |
| 04:12:50.25 | Kevin McGowan | is to look at parking circulation and the other issues that you folks brought up as well, which has to do with speeding and other things on Caledonia. |
| 04:12:59.89 | Cleveland Knowles | Perfect. Okay, so on those two things, is there any more discussion or do we have a motion? |
| 04:13:10.94 | Cleveland Knowles | or is there any desire to take them separately? |
| 04:13:11.01 | Ray Withy | or is there any |
| 04:13:21.62 | Cleveland Knowles | Okay. Anybody want to make a motion? It's 1115. |
| 04:13:28.51 | Joe Burns | I'll move that we receive and file the report regarding the pilot outdoor program per item number one, that we direct staff to continue the program into the spring of 2021. And that we, number three, direct staff to study future circulation improvements along Caledonia Street corridor. and bring back options for the city council's consideration in March to consider expansion of the program to the entire Caledonia street corridor including feedback from the various committees listed. |
| 04:14:05.36 | Cleveland Knowles | Yeah, I haven't had one. including residents. |
| 04:14:09.77 | Joan Cox | Yeah, I would, with respect, I would ask that you add a public outreach aspect to that. motion. rather than just confining it to the committees. |
| 04:14:24.14 | Ray Withy | Thank you. |
| 04:14:24.35 | Ray Withy | Thank you. |
| 04:14:24.48 | Joan Cox | I'm sorry. |
| 04:14:24.68 | Ray Withy | Thank you. |
| 04:14:24.72 | Joan Cox | Thank you. Yeah. |
| 04:14:25.43 | Ray Withy | I agree with that. |
| 04:14:25.59 | Joan Cox | THE END OF THE END OF THE |
| 04:14:25.65 | Unknown | Thank you. |
| 04:14:25.73 | Joan Cox | Thank you. |
| 04:14:28.04 | Ray Withy | Is there a second? |
| 04:14:30.17 | Ray Withey | Um, One, I need to ask a question of the motion maker here. When you say expand this to the whole of the Caledonian Corridor, So this is like the more comprehensive circulation study and so on. But that implies that you're saying you're going to expand the plaza to the whole of the Caledonia corridor. That's not your intent, surely. |
| 04:14:52.76 | Joe Burns | Well, that was... That's not my intent. No, my, and that's, I was hoping somebody else found Kevin's description clearer. |
| 04:15:02.23 | Cleveland Knowles | That's the question I just asked Kevin and the expansion of the program is not closure of the rest of Caledonia necessarily. It's the traffic calming, potentially one way, |
| 04:15:12.46 | Ray Withy | Thank you. |
| 04:15:12.49 | Ray Withey | Right. |
| 04:15:13.99 | Cleveland Knowles | angled parking. They are. |
| 04:15:15.78 | Ray Withey | I understood all that. But what do you mean by a program then? The program is closing the street for the plaza at dawn. |
| 04:15:24.25 | Joe Burns | Thank you. |
| 04:15:24.35 | Ray Withey | THE END OF THE END OF THE |
| 04:15:24.40 | Joe Burns | THE END OF THE END OF THE |
| 04:15:24.57 | Ray Withey | You're not expanding the program. You're reviewing what's to do with Caledonia and the whole review of Caledonia's circulation and parking and the whole thing. |
| 04:15:24.66 | Joe Burns | What was that? |
| 04:15:34.16 | Ray Withey | shortly. |
| 04:15:36.60 | Cleveland Knowles | Yeah, I think there's, So Joe was just reading the staff recommendations. from our page. |
| 04:15:44.20 | Ray Withey | Yeah, I understand. That's the only piece I'm trying to... |
| 04:15:48.03 | Joe Burns | Well, |
| 04:15:49.01 | Ray Withey | get to more refined. |
| 04:15:51.77 | Joe Burns | I wanted to add in that this has all been on a permanent plaza between Pine and Johnson. Number three is completely about a permanent plaza at Pine and Johnson. Therefore, we'll direct staff to study future circulation improvements, blah, blah, blah. but It starts with the purpose of number three is for a permanent. Otherwise, if not a permanent, we don't need to study the circulation, frankly. |
| 04:16:17.71 | Joan Cox | I'm so unclear because I thought number three was to look at the whole of Caledonia Street to see what we could do for other restaurants, including Sushi Ron and Sweet Ginger. and that number one, Two is to continue the program for the one block. between Johnson and pine. but that The number three is to consider the entire street and what options are feasible for us to accommodate restaurants and businesses along the entire Caledonia Street corridor. Yes. |
| 04:16:50.38 | Joe Burns | Yes. expansion program. |
| 04:16:52.31 | Jill Hoffman | I think that's where the confusion came from too with, THE FAMILY. the comments from Drivers Market about taking away all the parking on Caledonia because that would take away all the parking on Caledonia. |
| 04:16:59.36 | Joe Burns | because that was... |
| 04:16:59.82 | Unknown | Thank you. |
| 04:17:03.27 | Jill Hoffman | I'm not sure that we want to consider that. Do we want to consider that? Or do we want to consider outdoor dining options that would not Correct. You know. Hi. |
| 04:17:14.97 | Cleveland Knowles | understood that that is not what staff is proposing is that they're proposing more of a traffic calming and business enhancement approach on the rest of Caledonia. So Adam, do you want to clarify this? I think we're dragging this out. |
| 04:17:29.97 | Adam Politzer | Yeah. |
| 04:17:30.29 | Unknown | Thank you. |
| 04:17:30.31 | Cleveland Knowles | Yeah. Oh, Bye. Thank you. |
| 04:17:32.87 | Adam Politzer | I think when you look at page two, the staff report in that top paragraph there, to kind of list. things, including looking at ADA it looks at adding parking. So I think that it was really important clarification the mayor made earlier it's not an option of eliminating parking or reducing parking. is looking at adding and I think there are some safety issues that the pedestrian and bicycle committee pointed out at the crosswalks. you know, especially the crosswalks, going from Bridgeway you know, crossing Bridgeway from the Caledonia side, you know, there's parking that's right there at those intersections that make it hard for the incoming traffic to see pedestrians that are trying to step out into traffic along that corridor as well. So I think that the options that we're talking about, will be kind of like our budget, the big, the small, and the small, medium and large options, looking at things that could, as council member or vice mayor withy had talked about may take years or or maybe just some of these smaller things that David Parisi was mentioning at the beginning, looking at So as people come down the circulation comes down. out on your street. They have to make a laugh somewhere if they're going to If you get to Pine Street, you have to go left. and it becomes very complicated and congested at Pine Street if we haven't given the driver's options before then. That's why we need to look at the options, but those options could include other safety issues, other traffic calming, other parking enhancements. That's what we want to bring back to March. so that the council then can give direction on, Move forward with your pilot program on the outside dining. We're good with that. but we want to explore some of these other options and maybe one of them makes sense to invest some money and explore. So until you get that kind of small, medium and large. lists of options that would come back in March. I think the overall circulation has to be addressed You come off of Bridgeway onto Caledonia And you're heading South. at some point, We need to know what the cars are going to do. making a left or a right, going up the hill at turning. or going left any time before you get to Pine Street to help. reduce the congestion that we experienced this past year. |
| 04:20:08.92 | Jill Hoffman | Thank you. So does it help to do an amendment of the motion that's on the table? for number three. Yeah, I think we need to change number |
| 04:20:15.87 | Adam Politzer | Right. |
| 04:20:16.04 | Cleveland Knowles | Number three. And number three needs to say, direct staff to study future circulation improvements along Caledonia Street corridor, and focusing on traffic calming and business. Um, enhancement. and bring back options for the City Council's consideration in March of 2021. including a robust public |
| 04:20:42.50 | Unknown | Thank you. |
| 04:20:42.55 | Tricia Smith | included. |
| 04:20:45.00 | Cleveland Knowles | outreach process. and then include the committees. AND, |
| 04:20:49.89 | Tricia Smith | Thank you. |
| 04:20:50.19 | Cleveland Knowles | at residents. and get rid of the expansion of the program along Caledonia Street. Does that make sense? Yes. It's 1120. |
| 04:21:01.15 | Joe Burns | Yeah, so we're doing what a general plan does. Look at the street and its effectiveness, but if you're not doing it for a purpose, which is to increase commerce by closing. permanently closing temporarily closing that street is not doing anything for us. It's got a slope about a, you know, a two to one slope coming off that tables are crooked. They need to invest in something and it makes sense to have a permanent plaza there. I don't need to restudy the entire street for a temporary plaza. |
| 04:21:28.31 | Joan Cox | But we're not talking about the plaza. We're talking about the entire street and the other businesses and restaurants. Number two deals with the plaza. |
| 04:21:37.02 | Joe Burns | No, it doesn't. |
| 04:21:38.44 | Joan Cox | I'm sorry. |
| 04:21:39.50 | Joe Burns | So much. |
| 04:21:39.52 | Cleveland Knowles | Thank you so much. |
| 04:21:39.99 | Joan Cox | Bye. So, |
| 04:21:40.16 | Cleveland Knowles | Staff has not asked us to look at Johnson & between, I mean, Pine, Caledonia between Pine and Johnson in this staff report. There's no analysis of engineering or other improvements to that section. I mean, unless that's included in the entire corridor, the long term. I mean, maybe we should ask David Parisi. David, are you still there? |
| 04:22:04.83 | Jill Hoffman | Yeah, but I don't think we need to go there at that at this point. I mean, there's nothing that precludes us from talking about a permanent plaza at some later point. But right now, what we're prepared for, what the staff has asked us to do is direct to continue the program in the spring of 2021. Okay, we all agree that's gonna happen. And then with the amendments on the third number three to the motion, I think we're ready to vote. VOTE. |
| 04:22:28.20 | Joan Cox | Thank you. And I think number three could include any upgrades to the one block as well, because it is an entire Caledonia Street corridor. So an option could be a plaza in that first block, |
| 04:22:33.96 | Elizabeth Nebat | Thank you. So, yeah. |
| 04:22:41.92 | Joan Cox | So we need to see various options for the entire Caledonia Street corridors. |
| 04:22:49.08 | Cleveland Knowles | Okay. So Joe, will you consider my uh, version of friendly amendment. |
| 04:22:54.88 | Joan Cox | Thank you. |
| 04:22:55.03 | Ray Withey | that. |
| 04:22:55.30 | Joan Cox | Thank you. |
| 04:22:55.32 | Ray Withey | Thank you. |
| 04:22:56.77 | Joan Cox | Thank you. |
| 04:22:56.79 | Ray Withey | Yes. |
| 04:22:57.94 | Cleveland Knowles | Okay, and did we have a second? |
| 04:23:00.92 | Ray Withey | I'll second that. |
| 04:23:01.01 | Heidi Scoble | So, |
| 04:23:02.14 | Cleveland Knowles | Thank you. |
| 04:23:02.16 | Heidi Scoble | Go ahead, right, right. Okay, Heidi, will you call the roll? Council Member Hoffman? Councilmember Burns? |
| 04:23:09.34 | Unknown | Thank you. |
| 04:23:09.38 | Unknown | Yeah. |
| 04:23:09.40 | Heidi Scoble | Thank you. Councilmember Cox. Thank you. |
| 04:23:11.23 | Unknown | Yes. |
| 04:23:11.89 | Heidi Scoble | Vice Mayor Withey. |
| 04:23:13.11 | Unknown | Yes. |
| 04:23:13.70 | Heidi Scoble | Mayor Cleveland Knowles. |
| 04:23:16.11 | Cleveland Knowles | Okay, that motion carries five to zero. And we will move on to our last business item. which is a resolution authorizing the city manager to execute a professional services contract amendment with geologic associates coming out of $71500. We have Kevin McGowan again, our Director of Public Works. |
| 04:23:45.42 | Kevin McGowan | Good evening. |
| 04:23:45.76 | Cleveland Knowles | Kevin, let's try to keep the staff report, please, because it's really late. |
| 04:23:52.09 | Kevin McGowan | I'd like to thank you. Yes, ma'am. We will move forward very quickly. Making this presentation this evening is Lauren Umbertus, our maintenance manager, and we also have Rick Mitchell, who is a geotechnical consultant for Geologic, to help us out with that. So with that, I'll turn this over to Lauren to lead us through his couple of quick slides. |
| 04:24:15.51 | Lauren Umbertus | Yeah, good evening, Madam Mayor and the council. And I do know it's late, so we'll try to go through this. It's always a pleasure for me to get a chance to talk about this project. As many of you know, I've been involved. It's been a long one. lots of complications and so these are good opportunities for me to let everyone know kind of what what's going on and how, how, how it's going tonight we're gonna talk about geologic and what they've done for us on the project and to ask the council to Uh, provide an additional services contract to them, not only for work that they've provided to us to this point, but also go forward on trying to help us remove some of the soil. I know that there are some questions that came from some of the council members and then from the community. And I was unable to make it to the last meeting, but, um, So, I'm here now and with questions, let me know if there are any. I do have a very quick presentation. It's more informational. We can come back to it if you have any questions. And let me see if I can get that started. Thank you. See what we can do here. |
| 04:25:30.79 | Lauren Umbertus | Can everyone see this presentation? |
| 04:25:33.27 | Unknown | Yeah. Yep. |
| 04:25:36.26 | Lauren Umbertus | So real quickly. you know, the, the, Issues with this park obviously is that it was a burn dump and we knew that there were materials in that burn dump. that were probably not desirable to retain for a park. So we've gone through a series of different tests and used a number of different consultants to help us out. And so here are just a couple milestones here. There was a geotechnical report prepared for the park, which addressed really the soil composition. That was done back in 2015. We then did a subsurface investigation report, which was assisted by Geologic, and that was produced on November 16th, 2018. That ended up leading to basically kind of in conjunction with the health risk assessment that was prepared for that park that really told us what we needed to do in order to be able to open up the park in a safe manner. And it gave some stipulations. And one of those key stipulations is that the park had to have a certain amount of clean cover. That will be important when we go through the next slides. And then we did some field testing when we were at a point of finished grade in the park. Now, those tests were conducted in 2019 in conjunction with Geologic. And what we then used that for is to develop a work plan, which we submitted to CalRecycle to say, |
| 04:26:27.27 | Unknown | really, |
| 04:26:27.61 | Jackie Selman | I'm not sure. |
| 04:26:27.79 | Unknown | Thank you. |
| 04:26:27.83 | Jackie Selman | Thank you. |
| 04:26:27.86 | Unknown | So, |
| 04:27:00.01 | Lauren Umbertus | This is what we have at the site at this finished grade. in terms of contaminants and this is what we're going to do to mitigate those. So that is where we on where we are today. And these are some of the milestones there. What you can see in this first slide is locations for test pits as well as boring areas. This was done before the project started. So over in the old parking lot area, you'll see it's a circle. It's got two little... triangles in it. Those were boring areas. There were four boring areas that were produced on the park. The other spots were areas picked in the a turf area. And they were test pits. They were dug down to approximately four feet. elevation view of those and that those were to to determine what the consistency of the soil was, where the burn dump was, and what type of material we were finding in that soil. Here's an example of the test pit elevation. So you can see we dug down to a certain depth and When we analyzed the results, we were taking a look at the sidewalls of those pits and we were finding what kind of material we were seeing, whether it was old burned up material, ground water, things like that. So this is just an example. there were these types of pictures done for each one of those test pits. So this screen here represents the samples that were taken once we were about 50%, 60% done with the project when we were at finished grade. We knew we were gonna find material at the site, but it was our original hope that it would either be |
| 04:28:38.51 | Unknown | THE ORIGINAL HUSBAND. |
| 04:28:40.68 | Lauren Umbertus | encapsulated by the parking lot or that we would be able to take other materials and kind of commingle it in order to establish a baseline of the soil that was safe for the public to use. So you can see here, these were approximately 50 test locations that were done at the site. The sites in Wren are areas in which we found elevated levels of lead. The blue areas are areas that we found which did not rise up to a level of hazard, and Rick can talk about a little bit more about what all that means. But essentially what we found is overall in that entire park, there were only a few areas relatively small to the overall size of the park that had to be removed and dealt with. The rest of the park, we were able to use existing material and were able to establish to the regulatory agencies that we had adequate amount of cover to provide a safe, surface for the people and the public to use that part. those areas in green that you see. That was part of the geologic report and work plan that was generated. We went back to CalRecycle and said, we found these hotspots in order to mitigate them. we will go to the next clean spot and remove all that material. and CalRecycle and those folks said, that's fine. And that's what we ended up doing. And that's what constitutes about two thirds of the pile to the south of the park. The other third of the material that's over there was area that was underneath the parking lot to the north. And the reason that we ended up having to segregate that material and not be able to basically just pave over it, is that once we dug it up, we found that it was in such bad composition physically that we couldn't use it for subgrade surface. We wanted to reuse it and we would have repaved over it and it would have been encapsulated under asphalt. because it was just inadequate to use as a subgrade, we had to remove that soil and stockpile it and bring in essentially rock, a lot covered with fabric in order to create kind of a bed on which to place the parking lot. And that pile was the first pile that, kind of started that, um, group over at the south end of the park. We knew we wouldn't be able to use it because of its consistency. Therefore, that's why we tested it back. And that's what generated some of those high numbers that we saw when we went out to the community, to get a bid for its removal. The rest of the material came out from the site and Rick can talk a little bit more about that. Where we are now is that we want to get rid of that pile. And, Rick and his organization, Geologic, will be able to help us by taking that pile, of which we know some of it is bad, and some of it's like worse than other parts. and segregate that so that some material we can remove to a closer landfill or even reuse in a different application. and take the stuff that's really unpleasant and send that to an appropriate landfill. So Rick's knowledge of testing protocols, his knowledge about agencies and landfills who can take this, and as well as relationships with contractors who can move this material is going to be really helpful to the city in trying to find the best price for getting rid of that soil. The test results that were used to categorize that entire pile were the test results that came from that material that came underneath the parking lot And that was deeper than a lot of the soil that came off of the park. And so therefore it had a lot more of the burn dump in it. I'm not sure. Uh... higher in concentrations of lead, which is really what we're dealing with today. than the other material that went next to it. But because that was the test that we had, that became the characterization of the entire pile. So it's kind of like a worst case scenario for the whole thing. our approach using geologic and going forward is that we're gonna try to say, we know that that material is bad, but the rest of this material is not. And we have to come up with a program that we can present to the landfills and to the shipping companies that will accept this material that with a confidence level that they're taking material that they can quantify, characterize, and accept. So that's where we are going on. with tonight's request for additional services. Part of the additional services is asking for some money. For Geologic, they have gone through on this project for a long period of time without getting in additional services, problem of the city. We should have dealt with that much sooner, but we're asking that the council consider that tonight. and help us to get some of those older bills paid. So I know it's late. I know that there's a lot of questions about this. Rick is available as well to answer questions kind of on a more technical side. But we welcome your questions. let me know what we can do to answer them. Anytime anyone wants to talk about this project, I know it's a complicated one, so it's unfortunate that we're doing it this late at night because there are lots of elements to it. Um, know that I'm always available to answer questions on this project from both public and also from council. If you have any questions, I'm ready for those. |
| 04:34:20.58 | Cleveland Knowles | Great, thank you. Thank you very much, Lauren, for that presentation. Did I see Council Member Cox? Did I see your hand raised? |
| 04:34:28.19 | Joan Cox | Thank you. Yes, and Mayor, I know it's late. I just wanna try and... |
| 04:34:30.96 | Cleveland Knowles | No. |
| 04:34:34.33 | Joan Cox | Sure, sure. |
| 04:34:34.49 | Cleveland Knowles | Yeah, sorry. Can I just ask Lauren to stop sharing a screen so I can see the rest of the folks? Great. All right. Yeah, please go ahead, Councilmember Kach. |
| 04:34:42.97 | Joan Cox | So this was clarified in one of the questions from another council member, but You know, a question from the community has been, and Lauren, I think you turned your video off, but this question is directed to you. A question from some members of the community have been, why didn't we segregate dirt as we were excavating it from Dunphy Park, rather than simply piling it all into this dirt pile? And as I, understand it and this is way too simplistic, I'm sure, Is it true that we were blending it as recommended by the state and the county? And it wasn't until. we went out for proposals that we realized that we now that we now have to segregate it in order to dispose of it. |
| 04:35:32.65 | Lauren Umbertus | If I understand the question correctly, We were not, We, what we're saying is, I apologize. So what we did is we had that first pile of material that we knew that came from that parking lot area. We moved that over. Uh, and had that set aside. And we knew that that was going to be material that we could not reuse. The then halfway through the project, when we did the testing over the entire field area, We were doing the specific testing for lead content because we had already produced through those test pits, kind of an understanding of what the material was and the types of different contaminants that it held. And at that time we determined really that the only, the main contaminant that we were concerned about through the whole series of tests was the lab. So when we then tested that new material from the field, tested the field, once we were at finished grade, determined that we had some high levels in order to comply with the requirements for CalRecycle and the County Health Department Um, in order to demonstrate a two foot cap of clean material, we needed to remove that material. And set it aside and import new material, which was what we did. and which allowed us to then demonstrate to those regulatory agencies that we had clean cover. What we did not do very well was segregate the piles so that they were distinct. And that is a mistake. In retrospect, we should have set them aside more clearly, knowing that there was this pile and knowing that there was this pile. And had we done so, we still would have had to do some testing on the newer material because all we were testing that |
| 04:37:28.94 | Eric Sklarv | to see you. |
| 04:37:29.33 | Lauren Umbertus | Thank you. was left. Um, And in order to dispose of it, landfills would say well you need to give us a full characterization it would have been easier to have done it it. It would have been easy to have done it that way and have those segregated and we would have been more able to clearly delineate those piles and where they came from. I will. what we hope to be able to do and i think you know there's some confidence level that we can is that when the pile first started you know the contractor moved it as far away as they could obviously And then as more material came in, they added to that pile. you know, in speaking with the contractor, his comments are, The stuff from the parking lot is at the furthest eastern part of that pile. And the material that is further to the west came out of the field. So that's why in working with Rick, we feel that we can Start doing those tests. that will, will, that we essentially know what the lead content is, and that's really what we're worried about. Um, And by doing that, we'll be able to bite off chunks of that pile to dispose of it. in less expensive ways. |
| 04:38:45.59 | Joan Cox | All right, Lauren, thank you so much. You've answered my question. I really appreciate the clarification. Mayor, that was my only question. Thank you. |
| 04:38:53.45 | Cleveland Knowles | Thank you. |
| 04:38:54.33 | Joan Cox | Great. |
| 04:38:54.97 | Cleveland Knowles | Are there other questions? And I know Lauren has answered some earlier questions as well and in writing. Bye. |
| 04:39:05.03 | Jill Hoffman | Councilmember Huffman. |
| 04:39:06.07 | Cleveland Knowles | Thank you. |
| 04:39:06.58 | Jill Hoffman | I do. Lauren, thank you for the responses from you and Kevin earlier. I had about four questions that I sent. on the history of the construction and who tried to figure out who was responsible for what jobs as the construction went forward. And so thank you for that. As I understand it, Geologic was first retained back in June of 2017 um, with one of the letters, with their engagement letter that set forth the scope. that you provided to me this afternoon. And, It seems to me in the letter, this is what it says on task three. that. Part of their scope was to better characterize a lateral, and vertical limits of waste by surface geophysical methods and or with subsurface borings or cone penetration tests. appreciable waste or burn debris is encountered This task could also include sample collection for laboratory analysis. results of laboratory analysis, if reform could trigger requirement for risk based evaluation of the site. NOW, MAIA, YOU'RE interpretation of this. is that we retain them And. 2017, among other things, Thank you. this is part of their scope. And that part of their scope was to EVALUATE. soils. in the entire construction site, but they failed to do that. with regard to the parking lot, which is what led to this problem with now that we have almost a million dollar stockpile that we've got to get rid of. Have I got that right? you |
| 04:40:46.11 | Paul (Driver's Market owner) | I... |
| 04:40:47.22 | Lauren Umbertus | Partly, let me clarify a little bit about the testing that was done prior to construction. And Rick can jump in. when he needs to. The testing that was done, there were a series of testing. Not only were there test pits that were dug down and that material was analyzed and looked at But the The tests that you're talking about, the comb penetration tests, were procured by the city, you know, to kind of tell us before we started in the construction, where we might find the burned dump and where um and what type of material we might find in it And, and, then And I'll let Rick talk a little bit more about that because he knows much more about that. those tests, those cone penetration tests and the I THINK I'M GOING TO BE uh, I always forget what it's called, but essentially with ground penetrating radar was to try to figure out what was underground and how deep it was and where it might be because if we were finding significant amounts of construction debris or metals, things like that, that may have affected how the project got delivered and constructed. With regard to the parking lot areas, There was not any sampling and test pits, as you can see from the I showed you. because the borings were done there because it was anticipated that those areas would be underneath the parking lot. So the idea of what constituted that material, what was in that material from a contaminant standpoint, I think was approached as being possibly irrelevant because it was going to be covered up by asphalt. And so the borings were done, but only four of them. and so that's why you don't see a lot of the test pit results over in that area but the they were done and focused over on the turf area Um, So the material that we found underneath the parking lot originally was anticipated as just being reused. dug up, recompacted, and then laid over with asphalt and permanently encapsulated in that manner. So let me turn over to Rick now and ask Rick if he can talk a little bit more about their scope originally and how they got up originally on board with this project. Rick, are you with us? |
| 04:43:23.10 | Rick Mitchell | Thank you. |
| 04:43:23.57 | Lauren Umbertus | I am. |
| 04:43:24.24 | Rick Mitchell | Hopefully you can hear me. I can. |
| 04:43:26.47 | Lauren Umbertus | I can tell. |
| 04:43:27.62 | Ryan Federoff | Thank you. |
| 04:43:27.67 | Unknown | can. |
| 04:43:27.96 | Ryan Federoff | Thank you. |
| 04:43:28.02 | Rick Mitchell | but my backlight's not very good, so I apologize for that. I'm not sure. Our original scope was to evaluate the lateral and vertical extent of what was believed to be burned debris. placed in the area. back in the 40s, 50s, 60s. And The intent on that was really to find out how much cover there was over the debris. because we knew going into this project that there needed to be at least two feet of soil cover over areas that would be parked. Lauren's correct in the parking lot. We weren't concerned with that because Um, you know, at the time we did our investigation in order to be no excavations in the parking lot in the area was going to be covered with asphalt. One of the things when you're working with old landfills and burn debris is you want to avoid excavating. You want to leave as much material in place as you can and there never really was any intention for significant excavation in this project. So our scope, again, was really to find out how much cover there was over the burn. We were particularly interested in the areas of the public with have access to in areas of the shoreline where the agencies had noticed some old bottles, some old, some old, um, Amen. burned debris indicative of the dump that was on the edge of the bay. And so we were looking at it from that perspective. We know with burn dumps that the chances of you hitting hazardous materials, particularly lead, is very high. We actually didn't see much in the way of debris here on this site, but the test results showed that at depth, |
| 04:45:21.34 | David Parisi | you |
| 04:45:22.33 | Rick Mitchell | that some of the material did test hazardous. And we wrote that up in a report and that provided the basis for the health risk assessment. health risk assessment came up with a lead criteria for the upper two feet of soils. So we did subsequent testing to delineate that. that we're going to be doing. So, our scope really didn't include fully characterizing the materials with respect to its various constituents, its hazardous characteristics, but we had enough data so that we can make a reasoned evaluation of what was at this what was at the site. So, |
| 04:46:11.29 | Jill Hoffman | Okay. But You'll agree that the scope as a sign on agreed to on, June of 2017 says if appreciable waste or burned debris is encountered, This task could also include sample collection for laboratory analysis. There was also no soil sample or soil evaluation done. Once you knew that you were going AND IT WASN'T COMMONTABLE. underneath that parking lot, you knew that was going to be part of the construction, And there wasn't any samples done at that time Thank you. I don't see anything in any of the maps that indicate that there was soil sample. where the parking lot was. The response back today was that it was not done there. in any of the parking lot, or at least the two boards that we're done, but that wasn't in the area that you guys knew that you were going to And that was the result. And result was we now have this large stockpile of hazardous materials that's gonna cost us almost a million dollars to move. So I think those are Oh, those are. pretty clearly the facts as I understand them. Um, |
| 04:47:24.95 | Heidi Scoble | you |
| 04:47:25.62 | Jill Hoffman | And so that doesn't really I mean, that doesn't we're not here at this. point. you know, to evaluate, liability on that issue. What we're here to say, what we're trying to evaluate today to engage you for further work for another $71,000. with regard to how do we address this PIL. So I think it's important for the you know, us to understand sort of, what, responsibilities we're going into this where failures occur, and how we can move forward in the best way possible, with the best team possible, DEAL WITH THIS that we now have sitting on the edge of our town. So, I don't think I have any further questions at this point. I will have some comments. during our discussion. |
| 04:48:20.58 | Cleveland Knowles | Okay, are there other city council members who have questions of staff before we open this up for public comments? Okay, let's open it up for public comments. um, I see Jacques Ellman is here. Jack, welcome. Welcome back. |
| 04:48:39.13 | Jackie Selman | Hello. Can you hear me OK? |
| 04:48:42.07 | Cleveland Knowles | Yes, I can hear you fine, thank you. |
| 04:48:43.64 | Jackie Selman | Okay. Well, it's pretty late, but... What I wanted to point out is that The plan that we have for the extension of the park over the rest of the peninsula that we're acquiring from Sausaha Marine is to elevate that area, the area near where the police station used to be and the parking for the police station. further toward the water. MR PRICEFELDTENSEEURIEURIEURIEURIEURIEURIEURIEURIEURIEURIEURIEURIEURIEURIEURIEURIEURIEURIEURIEURIEURIEURIEURIEURIEURIEURIEURIEURIEURIEURIEURIEURIEURIEURIEURIEURIEURIEURIEURIEURIEURIEURIEURIEURIEURIEURIEURIEURIEURIEURIEURIEURIEURIEURIEURIEURIEURIEURIEURIEURIEURIEURIEURIEURIEURIEURIEURIEURIEURIEURIEURIEURIEURIEURIEURIEURIEURIEURIEURIEURIEURIEURIEURIEURIEURIEURIEURIEURIEURIEURIEURIEURIEURIEURIEURIEURIEURIEURIEURIEURIEURIEURIEURIEURIEURIEURIEURIEURIEURIEURIEURIEURIEURIEURIEURIEURIEURIEURIEURIEURIEURIEURIEURIEURIEURIEURIEURIEURIEURIEURIEURIEURIEURIEURIEURIEURIEURIEURIEURIEURIEURIEURIEURIEURIEURI I hope that when the plans are made for moving this material that somehow It's kept in mind that if there's any material that could be moves there and then encapsulated by uh, appropriate soil. and save the cost of moving it off site that should really be considered. It may be complicated by the fact that your negotiations with Saucy-Marine may not be complete, You may not be able to put the soil there, but maybe it can be stockpiled still on our own property until it can be moved. There is the asphalt in the old parking area that might have to be broken up, but perhaps this would be an opportunity to encapsulate that. I mean, I'm not qualified to say which can be used, but I just want to make sure that everyone understands that there is that opportunity. |
| 04:50:15.79 | Cleveland Knowles | Great, great, thank you very much. Sandra Bushmaker. Welcome back. |
| 04:50:28.16 | Sandra Bushmaker | Thank you. Council and thank you for the thorough report. I do hope that sea level rise, liquefaction and subsidence are taken into consideration. when this plan for remediation of this soil and removal of this toxic soil is taken into account. So I hope that those factors are taken in under your advisement. before you make a decision on this. Thank you. |
| 04:51:00.83 | Cleveland Knowles | Thank you. Okay, I don't see any additional hands raised. So we'll close public comment and bring it back to the council. Is there further discussion? Joe, you mentioned you had some comments |
| 04:51:19.88 | Jill Hoffman | Thanks. Yeah. it's kind of obvious I think where I'm going. you know, given the mistakes that were made, THAT WERE LED TO THE FAILURES to accurately perform a soil survey of the entire construction area prior to issuance of the building and grading permits for the Dumpy Park. project. especially when you, You may have heard of it. There may have been a consideration that they weren't going to go into that parking area, When it became apparent that they were going to go into the parking area, and everybody knew there had been no soil samples done of that parking area, that should have been a stop and there should have been I mean, I don't think we should all be able to agree on that and that's where toxic materials were found and then toxic materials were removed. And instead of being taken away dumped over next to the park. They should have been carted off immediately when they found out at the toxic levels of that, further sifting through the soils that were there and that were moved over to the pile. The question from staff and the proposal before us of whether or not I wanna authorize a further contract. with the same that we've had with us since 2017, AND I'M GOING TO BE in order for further development My answer to that is no. Absolutely not. I'm in favor of issuing bid documents for removal of the materials and testing by a third party of the stockpile as part of that RFP. and I would expect staff and Geologic to give the third party their full cooperation and facilitating the testing and removal of stockpile possible today. So, that. THAT'S WHAT I WANT. would like our direction of staff to be instead of, further contracting with this consultant. geologic. |
| 04:53:09.42 | Ryan Federoff | Thank you. |
| 04:53:09.43 | Joan Cox | Thank you. |
| 04:53:09.45 | Ryan Federoff | Yeah. |
| 04:53:09.81 | Joan Cox | Thank you. Um, I have a slightly different view. I do agree that when the toxic materials were observed. They should have been segregated right then and there instead of piling them on top of the other I do know we've been placed tremendous pressure on staff to get this park renovation done quickly. And so I don't know if that pressure may have factored into that decision about the disposition of the materials as they were removed. In terms of testing initially, I do know it's quite common in the construction industry, to encapsulate uh toxic materials with cement if the such as a parking area if that area if the cement is deep enough and comprehensive enough to prevent Um, contamination. for exposure to those toxic So I don't necessarily think It was a mistake. not to test the area of the parking lot if they were assuming they were going to encapsulate those materials, why waste the money to test. So I'm not sure I agree. that that that was a mistake at the outset, although I'd have to do a whole lot more study, all of us would, to fully understand these issues. I am concerned about the expense of demobilizing geologic and hiring a new expert to come in and create bid documents regarding a project about which they know nothing. I believe there are some economies of scale to be achieved by having the expert who already knows everything there is to know about this project, create the bid documents for someone to come in and clean up the mess. that has been left in the wake of this project. in these challenging financial times, I'm not sure the best course is to start over as much as I would love to you know, Um, say we're disappointed in your performance and we're going to move. on in a different direction. um, Perhaps there's an opportunity to negotiate some kind of discounted price Um, for the creation of the bid documents that we need. |
| 04:55:44.40 | Cleveland Knowles | Thank you. Ray or Joe, any comments? Thank you. Or do we have emotions? |
| 04:55:50.37 | Joe Burns | I like where this is going. So I was just letting them go. These two have a good thing going here. |
| 04:55:58.94 | Joe Burns | Do we want to have staff answer? that. I mean, Jill threw out a lot of stuff out there that |
| 04:56:04.97 | Joan Cox | you |
| 04:56:05.31 | Joe Burns | I don't know if |
| 04:56:06.18 | Joan Cox | Thank you. |
| 04:56:06.30 | Joe Burns | if |
| 04:56:06.76 | Joan Cox | I know. |
| 04:56:06.76 | Cleveland Knowles | I know at this |
| 04:56:08.46 | Joan Cox | Okay. |
| 04:56:09.51 | Cleveland Knowles | I mean, if you have questions, Joe, that's fine. |
| 04:56:12.06 | Joan Cox | No questions. |
| 04:56:13.86 | Cleveland Knowles | I mean, if you have a question, you should ask it, but I don't think we |
| 04:56:18.72 | Joe Burns | I don't. I didn't know if they wanted to say something, but I don't have questions. |
| 04:56:23.16 | Ray Withy | Okay. So I think, Ray, do you have anything to add? |
| 04:56:30.23 | Ray Withey | No, I'm... Uh... ready to move forward. I understand that this this discussion, I understand the perspective But right now, We need to award this. We need to get this done. And in fact, we should have awarded it two weeks ago. |
| 04:56:54.97 | Cleveland Knowles | that emotion. |
| 04:57:04.76 | Ray Withey | I'd be happy to make a motion if I could figure out what it is. Sorry, I need to. |
| 04:57:18.47 | Cleveland Knowles | Sorry. |
| 04:57:18.76 | Ray Withey | So, |
| 04:57:19.56 | Cleveland Knowles | computer turned off, so I don't have the |
| 04:57:21.70 | Ray Withey | Yeah, I've got to reboot my other computer here, so. Unless somebody's got the motion in front of them to read. |
| 04:57:33.12 | Joan Cox | I have the motion in front of me, so I'm going to go ahead and move that we adopt a resolution of the City Council of the City of Sausalito authorizing The city manager to execute a professional services contract amendment with geologic associates in an amount not to exceed $71,500 to assist the city with further development of the bid documents associated with the removal of the soil stockpile at Dunphy Park and I would like to add to that a request that negotiate a lower price for those services given Uh, some of the consequences that could have been avoided earlier in the process. |
| 04:58:11.41 | Cleveland Knowles | Thank you. |
| 04:58:11.43 | Joan Cox | Thank you. |
| 04:58:11.55 | Cleveland Knowles | seconds. |
| 04:58:12.05 | Joan Cox | Thank you. |
| 04:58:15.60 | Ray Withey | Well, what does that mean, Joan? |
| 04:58:17.93 | Joan Cox | I'm giving staff an author authority to spend not more than 71,500, but I see Lauren nodding his head. I'm asking him to negotiate a lower price with Geologic for these services in light of consequences that could have been prevented. earlier in the project. |
| 04:58:37.52 | Jill Hoffman | Thank you. |
| 04:58:37.53 | Joan Cox | I thought I could compose an altar motion. But I'm giving it up to 71,500. |
| 04:58:37.62 | Jill Hoffman | but I'm giving all that. I'd like to propose an alternate motion. So we direct staff to actually, Issue an RFP or a bid. a request for bids for removal of the stockpile. Um, and that they come back to us within two weeks. And as part of that, a third party an independent third party is going to the soil in that stockpile. We have every reason to believe that Sorry. That's my emotion. |
| 04:59:08.97 | Joan Cox | They don't have bid documents to put out Joe. |
| 04:59:11.72 | Cleveland Knowles | So we just rejected, Jill, they put out the documents and we just rejected them last week. because they were too expensive. Yeah, they were. |
| 04:59:20.03 | Jill Hoffman | the head. Okay. Okay, this makes no sense whatsoever. Okay, I'm sorry, we already did our discussion. This makes no sense whatsoever though, that you're asking the same people |
| 04:59:23.89 | Cleveland Knowles | All right. |
| 04:59:31.35 | Jill Hoffman | that got us into this position to do more sampling and charge us more money. in order to put out more bid documents. I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I know it's late. you know, I understand there's a motion. I can't support it and I think we need to have the I think we need to have a new team come in and new bids go out. |
| 04:59:57.51 | Ray Withey | So I second Councilmember Cox's motion. |
| 05:00:01.49 | Cleveland Knowles | Heidi, will you call the roll? |
| 05:00:06.28 | Joan Cox | Well, you have to, it's a point of order. You have to see if there's a second to Council Member Hoffman's motion. And if there is, her motion gets called first. THE roll on her motion gets |
| 05:00:16.46 | Cleveland Knowles | Thank you, Jim. I didn't hear a second, but is there a second to council member Huffman's motion? Okay. Hearing none. that motion fails and then the motion on the table Is Councilmember Cox's motion seconded by the Vice Mayor? And I'll let the clerk please call the roll. |
| 05:00:39.03 | Heidi Scoble | Councilmember Hoffman. |
| 05:00:40.50 | Jill Hoffman | Thank you. |
| 05:00:40.55 | Cleveland Knowles | NO. |
| 05:00:41.51 | Heidi Scoble | Councilmember Burns. |
| 05:00:43.13 | Joan Cox | Yeah. |
| 05:00:43.19 | Heidi Scoble | Right. |
| 05:00:43.20 | Joan Cox | Yeah. |
| 05:00:43.22 | Heidi Scoble | Okay. |
| 05:00:43.24 | Joan Cox | Yeah. |
| 05:00:43.84 | Heidi Scoble | Council member Cox? Yes. Vice mayor Withy? Thank you. |
| 05:00:47.07 | Cleveland Knowles | Thank you. |
| 05:00:47.08 | Heidi Scoble | Yeah. |
| 05:00:47.20 | Joan Cox | Yes. |
| 05:00:47.78 | Heidi Scoble | Mayor Cleveland Knowles. |
| 05:00:49.16 | Cleveland Knowles | Yes. you That motion carries four to one. and that item is approved. So we will go on to item eight, which is our city manager's report. And thank you, sorry, thank you, Lauren and Kevin for being here tonight and Mr. Mitchell. |
| 05:01:09.01 | Joan Cox | At this late hour, we do appreciate it. |
| 05:01:11.97 | Cleveland Knowles | Yeah. |
| 05:01:12.31 | Joan Cox | Thank you. |
| 05:01:12.68 | Lauren Umbertus | And thank you all as well. |
| 05:01:14.13 | Joan Cox | Thank you. |
| 05:01:14.15 | Lauren Umbertus | Thank you. |
| 05:01:14.24 | Joan Cox | Thank you. |
| 05:01:14.61 | Cleveland Knowles | Sorry, my My hospitality is failing me. I apologize. All right. Onto item eight, a city manager report, city council appointments and other council business. um are there any public comments on item 8k through AD. |
| 05:01:38.08 | Cleveland Knowles | I am not seeing any hands raised, so I will close public comment. Um, Are there any city manager report? Hello, Adam. |
| 05:01:51.46 | Adam Politzer | No, Madam Mayor, I will suspend my report. I'll just report that we've had very successful first week. with her in-room. City Manager Marsha Raines getting to meet lots of of people going out on site. at our various locations, and projects throughout town. We were out at this slide at Crescent in South So... the and up at Southview Park. But we've covered basically most of the town. on the various projects going on and obviously had lots of meetings with staff. very successful first week. She started obviously last week on I think on the second, on November 2nd. So I want to welcome Marcia and thank the council for all your hard work tonight. Happy to answer any questions from Council. |
| 05:02:47.50 | Cleveland Knowles | Great, thank you. |
| 05:02:48.62 | Adam Politzer | there. |
| 05:02:50.39 | Cleveland Knowles | Any questions for our city manager or our interim city manager? We're both here tonight. Thank you for being here, Marsha. especially this late. Okay, we will move on to appointments to boards, commissioning. and committee, so hi. heading into the zoo. Um, So we have appointment of planning commissioners on our agenda. Sorry, I'm just sleeping through my and we've interviewed several people and two this evening. We have two um, We have vacancies. of long-term planning commissioner, Vicki Nichols, whose term expired over a year ago, but who, who has been? we've been thankful has been willing to continue to serve. And then we have a vacancy that will be created by Janelle Kellman when she joins us on the study council in December. So, um, we can appoint up to two people I would propose that we fill both seats tonight, but effective after the planning commission's first meeting in December. to give Councilmember-elect Kelman the chance to attend that last meeting and in addition to Planning Commissioner Nichols. Um, And I was, I would, nominate both of the people that we interviewed tonight. I thought they were both. very different perspectives, but more of our highly qualified for the job, I would nominate Anastasia Asad and Jeffrey Luxenberg. And I'd be happy to take other comments or nominations. |
| 05:05:06.17 | Cleveland Knowles | and we would make that effective. actually it's a city manager or community development director still available, I believe they there was some thought that they there's a city, I'm sorry, planning commission meeting that they would like to still and through December, is that correct? |
| 05:05:30.38 | Adam Politzer | Yeah, Wednesday, December 2nd is that meeting we were recommending having the planning commission Um, continue with Commissioner or council member like Kelman and commissioner. Nichols. |
| 05:05:47.48 | Cleveland Knowles | Okay. Great. So effective after that meeting. |
| 05:05:52.24 | Adam Politzer | Thank you. Correct. Right. |
| 05:05:54.99 | Cleveland Knowles | Right. And also, a big thank you to both of them for their service. on the planning commission. |
| 05:06:06.61 | Cleveland Knowles | I Other thoughts? Okay. Heidi, could you call the roll on those two nominations? |
| 05:06:15.71 | Heidi Scoble | Councilmember Hoffman? Yes, and thanks to all the people that applied. We had some great candidates always. Council Member Burns. |
| 05:06:23.03 | Heidi Scoble | It's a good thing. Thank you. |
| 05:06:25.06 | Joe Burns | Yes, and thank you to the two coming off the commission. Thank you for your service. |
| 05:06:30.24 | Heidi Scoble | Councilmember Cox. |
| 05:06:33.11 | Joan Cox | Yes, and I also want to thank the two members coming off. Janelle Kelman was actually chair of the Planning Commission when I was first appointed in 2008, so she has a very long and story I'm not sure. history on the Planning Commission and I'm also grateful to Vicki Nichols for the historical perspective she brought to the Planning Commission And that is why I'm voting in favor of Anastasia, because I'm confident she will bring that same perspective that HAS BEEN SO VALUABLE. in commissioner Nichols comments throughout the years. |
| 05:07:09.56 | Heidi Scoble | Vice Mayor Withey? |
| 05:07:11.28 | Ray Withey | Yes, with thanks outlined by my fellow councillors. |
| 05:07:16.56 | Heidi Scoble | and Mayor Cleveland Knowles. |
| 05:07:18.35 | Cleveland Knowles | I will vote yes and also with all the thanks previously expressed and then also Commissioner Nichols had asked that we fill her shoes when we found really qualified candidates. And it did take us a little while, but I feel like we have found those candidates. that motion passes five zero. and I've I believe that takes us to future agenda items. |
| 05:07:45.31 | Joan Cox | Mayor, I had one item. you may have seen in the newspaper that the Association of Bay Area Governments issued or actually confirmed the recommendation of its executive committee with respect to the RHNA a regional housing needs assessment Um, methodology for calculating the RHNA numbers for various counties within ABAG. That methodology results in 744 Sausalito. Our response to that letter is due by the end of November. So I would like to bring an item on consent next week. at our meeting. that contains a draft response aligned upon with other cities in Marin County. |
| 05:08:40.53 | Cleveland Knowles | OK. Thank you. hopefully staff can |
| 05:08:46.82 | Joan Cox | I've told the city manager I'll work with him and we're working with chair of the MCCMC Legislative Committee, Alice Fredericks on this as well. Okay. |
| 05:08:57.20 | Cleveland Knowles | you |
| 05:08:58.23 | Joan Cox | Great. |
| 05:08:58.48 | Cleveland Knowles | Thank you. Okay. Anything else? Okay, we do have a very full agenda. for our meeting on the 17th. So we will work in agenda setting to see if there's anything that we can trim or but there are several items that we do need to hear including the general plan the BCDC report. We had talked about having an update on our racial justice issues at that meeting. |
| 05:09:29.18 | Unknown | We're going to be talking about the |
| 05:09:35.49 | Cleveland Knowles | So all of those are usually quite long in full, items so you know. given that it's already past midnight tonight and we lost our BCDC item for tonight, we may need to adjust on the 17th, but we'll try to bring everything forward that we can. All right, thank you everyone. And with that, the business in front of us tonight is concluded and we will adjourn this meeting. Thank you. to everyone who stayed with us this long. and have- |
| 05:10:06.03 | Joan Cox | Thank you, everyone. |
| 05:10:06.96 | Cleveland Knowles | night. Happy Wednesday. Happy Veterans Day. |