| Time | Speaker | Text |
|---|---|---|
| 00:00:01.16 | Peter Romanowski | We don't want to report it. You report post-missions? |
| 00:00:08.00 | Walfred Solorzano | Madam Mayor, all public has been admitted and good afternoon, Mayor Kelman and council members. This meeting has been held pursuant to government code section 54953E. And in light of the declared state of emergency, the regular meeting of the city council for January 25th, 2022 will be conducted telephonically through Zoom. |
| 00:00:29.95 | Serge Avila | And we're going to have a |
| 00:00:30.02 | Walfred Solorzano | and broadcasts. |
| 00:00:31.03 | Serge Avila | live on the city's website. cable TV channel 27. |
| 00:00:38.29 | Unknown | Great. Thank you so much, city clerk. Good evening, everybody. Welcome to the regular city council meeting for Tuesday, February 15th. 2022. I will ask that the city clerk call the roll please. |
| 00:00:53.00 | Walfred Solorzano | Council member Sobieski? |
| 00:00:54.54 | Sybil Boutillier | Thank you. |
| 00:00:54.67 | Walfred Solorzano | Thank you. |
| 00:00:54.79 | Sybil Boutillier | Thank you. |
| 00:00:55.47 | Walfred Solorzano | Council member Clue-Lenau. |
| 00:00:56.98 | Sybil Boutillier | Here. |
| 00:00:57.96 | Walfred Solorzano | Councilmember Hoffman. |
| 00:00:59.30 | Sybil Boutillier | Here. |
| 00:01:00.19 | Walfred Solorzano | THE VICE MAYOR BLOVSTEIN? |
| 00:01:01.73 | Sybil Boutillier | here. |
| 00:01:02.10 | Unknown | Thank you. |
| 00:01:02.52 | Walfred Solorzano | Mayor Kellman. |
| 00:01:03.77 | Sybil Boutillier | Thank you. |
| 00:01:03.78 | Unknown | here. |
| 00:01:04.59 | Walfred Solorzano | All members are present and there is a forum. |
| 00:01:06.55 | Serge Avila | Thank you. |
| 00:01:07.06 | Unknown | Great, thank you so much. Item 1B is to be discussed in closed session. That is conference with legal counsel, existing litigation pursuant to California government code section 54956.9 D1. So salito marine county chapter of the California homeless union versus the city of Sausalito. We'll now go ahead and take public comment on the closed session items. If the city clerk could please explain how public comment will be taken. |
| 00:01:32.72 | Walfred Solorzano | . |
| 00:01:33.03 | Serge Avila | Audio 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 will be called upon when it's your time to speak. To raise your hand from a phone, press start nine and each speaker will be notified when the time has elapsed. |
| 00:01:52.30 | Unknown | All right, thank you, Serge. Do you see anybody with a hand up to make a public comment? |
| 00:01:57.45 | Walfred Solorzano | Madam Mayor, I see no hands raised at the moment. |
| 00:02:00.03 | Unknown | Okay, I'll go ahead and close public comment. We'll adjourn to closed session. Thanks everybody. |
| 00:02:03.45 | Walfred Solorzano | Oh, shit. |
| 00:02:04.58 | Unknown | Thank you. |
| 00:02:08.38 | Unknown | We've adjourned to a closed session. |
| 00:02:18.73 | Serge Avila | and for those of you that are left in the meeting i will put you back in the waiting room the council has adjourned to close sessions |
| 00:02:18.95 | Unknown | Thank you. |
| 00:02:18.96 | Peter Romanowski | AND FOR THEM, IT'S A |
| 00:02:19.54 | Unknown | Thank you. |
| 00:02:31.82 | Arthur Bruce | Why didn't you fucking go too well, did it? |
| 00:05:58.73 | Walfred Solorzano | So Madam Mayor, we need about 10 seconds to restart our audio sequence. |
| 00:06:07.25 | Walfred Solorzano | We are admitting all public right now. |
| 00:06:17.14 | Unknown | I'll see you next time. essential because |
| 00:06:34.06 | Walfred Solorzano | Hannah Mayor, everyone is in the room now and we are ready to begin. |
| 00:06:46.69 | Unknown | Thank you everybody. Coming back from closed session, nothing to report from. closed session. So, We need to go ahead and approve the agenda. I'm gonna make the suggestion because I think we're gonna have a lot of people tonight that we move the business items up So, and this 5A and 5B are heard before the awareness amendment. so welcome if anybody has comments on that change or someone's willing to make a motion with that change. |
| 00:07:17.95 | Unknown | I'll make a motion with that change. Did you also have any suggestions about public comment timing tonight? Yes, thank you. Public comment tonight. |
| 00:07:26.96 | Unknown | be two minutes each. Thank you. Right? Serge, please call the roll. |
| 00:07:34.58 | Walfred Solorzano | Council members of ESP. Yes. Council member, move it, no. Yes. Council member Hoffman? Yes. Vice mayor Blaustein? |
| 00:07:46.39 | Unknown | Thank you. |
| 00:07:46.40 | Unknown | I didn't know. Yeah, there we go. Now I can talk. |
| 00:07:48.79 | Serge Avila | and you know, Amen. |
| 00:07:50.66 | Unknown | Yes, thank you very much. Okay, that passes five out. We'll move on then to our special presentations and mayor's announcements. We have none this evening. So onto the next item, which is the action minutes of the previous meeting. Is there any public comment or anybody wish to make a comment on this item? |
| 00:08:13.47 | Unknown | surgery. |
| 00:08:13.96 | Walfred Solorzano | Thank you. |
| 00:08:14.03 | Unknown | UCN. |
| 00:08:14.50 | Walfred Solorzano | to be able to get the |
| 00:08:14.57 | Unknown | Thank you. |
| 00:08:14.59 | Walfred Solorzano | Thank you. |
| 00:08:14.69 | Unknown | Thank you. |
| 00:08:14.81 | Walfred Solorzano | Thank you. Madam Mayor, I do not see any hands raised, but if you like me |
| 00:08:20.04 | Serge Avila | to let the public know how to provide public comment, I can do that. |
| 00:08:24.51 | Unknown | That would be excellent, thank you. |
| 00:08:26.67 | Serge Avila | Radio or audio public comment, but it's limited to two minutes per speaker. If you would like to make a comment, please raise your hand in the Zoom application. |
| 00:08:36.05 | Walfred Solorzano | Thank you. |
| 00:08:36.25 | Serge Avila | and you will be |
| 00:08:36.96 | Walfred Solorzano | called upon when it's your time to speak. to raise your hand from a phone, press start nine, and each speaker will be notified when the time has elapsed. I'd like to say that it's two minutes per speaker. |
| 00:08:50.16 | Unknown | Great, thank you. Let me remind the public that right now we're only taking public comment on item 2A, which is the draft minutes of the special city council meeting of February 4th, 2022. So if you don't wish to speak to that, now would not be the time for your public comment. I do see one hand raised. |
| 00:09:09.11 | Walfred Solorzano | Madam Mayor, we do have one hand raised and it's Peter Romanowski. Peter, you've been unmuted and asked to share your video. |
| 00:09:15.24 | Serge Avila | you |
| 00:09:25.85 | Unknown | Serge, are we having technical issues on our end? |
| 00:09:28.79 | Walfred Solorzano | Madam Mayor does not appear as Peter has been unmuted or there he is. |
| 00:09:33.41 | Unknown | Okay. mr romanovsky welcome we're only taking public comment on the draft meeting minutes from our february 4th meeting Do you wish to speak to that specific item? If not, I'll ask for you to wait to a later item. |
| 00:09:56.85 | Peter Romanowski | . Can you hear me okay? |
| 00:09:58.99 | Unknown | Yes, sir, we can. We're taking a comment on the draft meeting minutes from February 4th. Do you wish to speak to that specific item, sir? |
| 00:10:06.05 | Peter Romanowski | Ah, no thank you. I'll speak later on. |
| 00:10:10.03 | Unknown | Thank you so much. |
| 00:10:10.10 | Peter Romanowski | Thank you so much. Thank you. |
| 00:10:11.31 | Unknown | Thank you. |
| 00:10:11.39 | Peter Romanowski | Thank you. |
| 00:10:11.41 | Unknown | Thank you. |
| 00:10:11.43 | Peter Romanowski | Thank you. |
| 00:10:12.56 | Unknown | Serge, I see another hand raised. |
| 00:10:15.97 | Serge Avila | We have Jacob and Jacob, it does not appear as you have a but I'll ask for you to start your video. |
| 00:10:38.38 | Unknown | Okay, Serge, perhaps we can return to Jacob after we've resolved whatever technical difficulties. Again, this is only public comment on the draft meeting minutes from February 4th. Okay, great. Thank you very much, Serge. Okay, well, I'll ask for a motion to approve the minutes as submitted or whether there are any corrections. Thank you. |
| 00:11:00.10 | Unknown | in a minute. |
| 00:11:00.89 | Unknown | Thank you. Thank you. |
| 00:11:01.62 | Unknown | Yes, they are. |
| 00:11:02.98 | Unknown | Thank you. |
| 00:11:03.02 | Unknown | and |
| 00:11:03.35 | Unknown | Thank you. George, please call the roll. |
| 00:11:05.06 | Unknown | Thank you. |
| 00:11:06.58 | Walfred Solorzano | Council member Sobieski. Yes. Council member Clever-Lenold. |
| 00:11:10.76 | Unknown | Thank you. |
| 00:11:10.79 | Unknown | Yes. |
| 00:11:11.72 | Walfred Solorzano | Council member Hoffman? Yes. Vice Mayor Blausdene. |
| 00:11:16.03 | Unknown | Yes. |
| 00:11:16.96 | Walfred Solorzano | Mayor Kelly. |
| 00:11:17.97 | Unknown | Yes, thank you. Okay, we'll move on to the consent calendar tonight. Matters listed under the consent calendar are considered routine and non-controversial. require no discussion are expected to have unanimous council support that may be enacted by the council in one motion. There will be no separate discussion of consent calendar items. However, before the council votes on a motion to adopt the consent calendar items, council members, city staff, or members of the public may request that specific items be removed from the consent calendar for separate action. Items removed from the consent calendar will be discussed later on the agenda and public comment will be heard on any item that was removed from the consent calendar. There are six items tonight on the insane calendar, item 3A, Authorize the first amendment to the agreement for services with much more than consulting LLC. Item 3B, a resolution authorizing the city manager to submit the notification of intent to comply with Senate Bill 1383 regulations and apply for a Cal recycle grant in the amount of $20,000 to support SOSLITO's effort to comply with Senate Bill 1383. Item 3C, adopt a resolution authorizing a total of $48,000 for the Dunphy Park Bocce Lights Project. Item 3D, Library Q2 report for fiscal year 2021-22. Item 3E, adopt a resolution authorizing the city manager to execute the purchase agreement to replace the f-550 dump truck damaged in a vehicle fire with a chevy silverado md dump truck an amount of eighty eight thousand four hundred and thirty three dollars and forty six cents Item 3F, declaration of local emergency activities at and surrounding Marinship Park in Camp Nou. I believe we'll open up public comment on consent. |
| 00:12:54.32 | Serge Avila | Madam Mayor, it looks like there's a question from- Yes, I see a question from- |
| 00:12:57.95 | Unknown | Yes, I see a question by my council member, Council Member Cleveland also. |
| 00:13:07.98 | Unknown | Oh, thank you. OK, I'm unmuted now. It's not, it's just a comment. I don't want to take anything off consent. I just have two short comments. First, I was just really pleased to see the Dunphy Park Fachi lights that was originally part of our dumpy park project. We had to remove it in a value and proposal to be able to do the project. And I just, it's not front and center on the agenda, but the funding is coming from private donations and Prop A money. So I think that's, it's great that we were able to find non-general fund sources for that. And it will be a great, Boone to the community. And then on 3E, I just have to raise one more time I had raised this a couple times in the past that we have a low emission action plan that requires city staff to analyze whether there are feasible low or no emission vehicles when we are addressing our vehicle fleet. And so I did email with Kevin McGowan, director of public works today. I do think it's unlikely that there is a dump truck that is low emission or No remission, but there is technical assistance from Tam and other rebates that we can get and he has committed to making sure to do that analysis in future staff items so I just I think we adopted this policy as a council And I just think when we are talking about our vehicle fleet, we do need to make sure that we're following the policy. |
| 00:14:36.77 | Unknown | Thank you, nice comments. Appreciate that. |
| 00:14:39.32 | Unknown | Thank you. |
| 00:14:40.28 | Unknown | I just wanted to give a comment to 3A. Well, I obviously appreciate the services of Deborah much more, I would like us to consider potentially hiring human resources manager in-house going forward to save money on consultings and consultants so i had a conversation with the city manager about continuation of contracts And I just think it's something to consider given our fiscal situation. What a full time on site. HR manager can bring to the team and to the community. |
| 00:15:08.43 | Unknown | Excellent. Thanks very much, Ms. Mayor. Any other council member questions or comments before we open to public comments? Okay, Serge, I do see one hand raised. |
| 00:15:21.07 | Serge Avila | Arthur Burroughs, you've been unmuted and asked to share your video. |
| 00:15:35.72 | Unknown | Thank you. |
| 00:15:35.75 | Jeffrey Chase | Ahoy! Hello, Mr. Bruce. Hello, this is Jeff Jacob here. Outside the taste of Rome, what's the issue? We are talking about the... |
| 00:15:46.52 | Unknown | issue that we're going to see money? |
| 00:15:46.90 | Jeffrey Chase | We are talking now about the money that has been embezzled by Marin County in the last 10 days, 2.1 million from health and human services, 1.9 million from a nonprofit. Urban Alchemy is getting $600,000. Lawyers in New York are getting $600,000. We now have a motive. for the criminal activities that have been used against the campers at friendship parks. Mr. Jacob. |
| 00:16:16.05 | Unknown | Mr. Jacob, Mr. Jacob, excuse me sir. I'm just going to pause you real quick. We're only taking a public comment on consent items right now. |
| 00:16:17.87 | Jeffrey Chase | I'm not sure. |
| 00:16:22.58 | Jeffrey Chase | This is a consent calendar. |
| 00:16:24.84 | Unknown | Which items are? |
| 00:16:25.18 | Jeffrey Chase | We have a declaration of emergency. Thank you, sir. Declaration of Emergency. Which is a libel. against a libel and a slander actionable causes against a group of people saying that there is drug and alcohol use, for instance, in a public area where people live, as there is on the hill, as there is in the flats. |
| 00:16:49.71 | Unknown | Criminal activity. |
| 00:16:50.61 | Jeffrey Chase | Okay, so what we have is we have a concerted effort to take down this anchorage and to take down everything that is not rich in Sausalito, and we are working to stop it. You have attempted to stop me from running from city council. You have attempted to stop me from careening my boat and scraping it. I was successful, and I did it, and my boat now sails, despite your officers, despite your tickets, despite your jails, and despite your prisons. So we are ready. We are ready to. And I did it. And my boat now sails despite your officers, despite your tickets, despite your jails, and despite your prisons. So we are ready. We are ready to fight any more actions that you have against the poor people of Sausalito. Thank you very much. Right. |
| 00:17:27.60 | Unknown | Come on. |
| 00:17:28.76 | Jeffrey Chase | Thank you. |
| 00:17:29.69 | Unknown | Thank you, sir. |
| 00:17:30.62 | Serge Avila | I'm not. |
| 00:17:30.80 | Unknown | Yeah. |
| 00:17:30.82 | Serge Avila | Another hand raised? Madam Mayor, it looks like we have Peter Romanowski, hence race. Thank you. |
| 00:17:38.95 | Unknown | Mr. Romanowski? |
| 00:17:40.73 | Serge Avila | Peter, you've been unmuted and asked to share your video. |
| 00:17:47.90 | Peter Romanowski | Unmute. Is that right? Mr. We can hear you. Okay, yeah, I heard something about how much for the, what's the recycling program money? How's that going to be used? |
| 00:18:00.86 | Unknown | So this is not a Q and A moment. You are welcome to provide your public comment and we will hear you out. So this is your turn. |
| 00:18:01.06 | Peter Romanowski | THIS IS WHAT YOU'RE DOING. |
| 00:18:08.89 | Peter Romanowski | Okay, my concern here, you know, living around Sausalito forever, anchored out, I've been anchored out here for decades. And I think I'm the longest surviving anchor out on Richardson Bay. If there's anybody that's been out here longer, I'd like to know, meet them. and congratulate them. But anyways, I'm concerned about, you know, like, you know, money for, you know, low-income housing. And I'm wondering, you know, if you guys are getting money for low-income housing, but there is none here. And what are you doing with the money? Who's getting it? And how come that's not on the calendar? low income housing because you know there's a total class warfare going on right now you know with the with the homeless camp, which the city of Sausalito and the county of Marin created the homeless camp by destroying over 100 boats. And this is a creation of Sausalito. Now you're living with the consequences. And, but the way out is to individually help these homeless people and to put the criminals in jail and keep them in jail. Cause it's criminals tend to come into these caged homeless camps. ex-convicts, and they tend to take over these places. And, uh, uh, and the judges kept releasing these people. I had my tent destroyed there and everything stolen. I went to Padilla to also do it to file a pre-support. I don't even think he ever turned it in. They never take police reports from the homeless people here on the waterfront. I mean, they just don't do it. And I mean, you really got to twist their arm or threaten them to take But my concern, again, is the homeless situation. And if there's a major earthquake around here, you guys are going to be joining us on the waterfront, you know. Thank you. Thank you, sir. Thank you, sir. If the biggest dream has never allowed, Thank you. Okay. |
| 00:19:58.97 | Serge Avila | . Our next speaker. is Robbie Powelson. Robbie, you've been unmuted and has to share your video. |
| 00:20:15.28 | Robbie Powelson | I just like to make my record Um, married me. mismanagement. of the encampment. by the city of Sausalito. um, first and foremost. city Um, I'm not sure if you're I think it's one of the broken promises that were represented to me different members of the Thank you. that there was going to be some kind of storage of property, especially for the sheds. I was, made to believe. I think it's a good thing. I, I, conversations right before I was forced to leave. because you guys were threatening to crush Collins trailers. that, the, the sheds were going to be stored. Later on, I found out that you guys used a backhoe and irreparably destroyed. the sheds and the murals and everything that people have created over these last few months. I'm not sure. Urban alchemy. I am. I've expressed my, my the issues. of past behavior. recently. There was an assault by an Urban Alchemy member against a resident of the camp, one of the camp members. And that provoked the whole situation because you guys were refusing to give him a tent like he had for the last year. And he beat a Thank you. and fucking threw on the ground sent to the emergency room. Outrageous. Outrageous. totally unprofessional, uncalled for. And that's. city policy. We still haven't seen the police report from that. And is it gonna be another replication of Hollywild where city employees are allowed to use violence against our camp members and have no accountability? because that seems to be the standard operating procedure in the city of Sausalito. Lieutenant Brewery. Check and go fast, John Rohrbacher. There seems to be a pattern of Thank you, sir. |
| 00:22:18.17 | Unknown | Thank you, sir. Your time is up. Appreciate that. I think we have one more hand raised for this evening. Again, this is just the consent calendar. So please let us know what item on the consent calendar you are speaking to. |
| 00:22:30.44 | Serge Avila | Our next speaker is Eva Cresante. Eva, you've been unmuted. as to share your meeting. |
| 00:22:45.83 | Serge Avila | I had your lead to unmute on your end. |
| 00:22:49.03 | Eva Cresante | Thank you. I'm not muted. Can you hear me? Yes, we can. Okay. Terrific. Yeah. A couple of things I wanted to point out. about the consent item regarding the state of emergency. I mean, it seems like a big enough item that you would wanna have it be its own agenda item. I do want to point out that this apparently stems from a fire that occurred at the camp. And it's my understanding that there were no fire extinguishers at the camp, which surprised me given that upward of, I think $480,000 has been contracted to Urban Alchemy, which is a group that has. no clinical experience working with unhoused populations, and no real training for its, you know, its unfortunate employees, who apparently don't know how to interact with people and have proved to be quite assaultive but that fire could have been easily mitigated if fire extinguishers had been on on hand and that's a little concerning uh 480 000 for a group like urban alchemy but no fire extinguishers and no uh you know no nurse on hand i mean for 4, for $480,000, you could have hired, you know, a very small medical team to be on site at the camp for that certainly a year. So that is kind of concerning. I do find that there's an irony. apparently in uh in january there was a bronx fire that killed 17 people um eight of their children um the owner of the building in the bronx that had outstanding safety violations lives in uh tiburon uh paul odland and um while the person who started the fire in the sauce little camp has been arrested is being held on to two thousand dollars bail uh mr odland walks free And this seems to be, you know, sometimes I feel like I'm living in a, in a. Thank you very much. Thank you. |
| 00:24:50.80 | Unknown | Thank you very much. Okay. Thank you very much. All right, Sergeant, I don't see any hands raised to you, sir. |
| 00:25:02.39 | Serge Avila | mayor uh there are no oh i just see one another hand raised Thank you. No, that's down now. Maybe not. So there are no further hands raised, Madam Mayor. |
| 00:25:11.61 | Unknown | Okay. So we'll go ahead and a closed public comment on the consent calendar. And I believe we need a motion to approve I'll make a motion to approve the consent calendar. So I can... |
| 00:25:24.03 | Serge Avila | Thank you. |
| 00:25:24.06 | Unknown | Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. |
| 00:25:28.52 | Serge Avila | Council Member Sobieski. Yes. the responsibility of the |
| 00:25:32.30 | Unknown | Yes. |
| 00:25:33.31 | Serge Avila | Chancellor Hoffman? Yes. Vice Mayor Blavstein. Yes. Mayor of Kelman. |
| 00:25:39.22 | Unknown | Yes. That passes 5-0. Okay, moving on, we did switch item four versus the public hearing item. And instead we moved the business items up ahead to honor the members of the public who have joined us tonight. So we'll move on to item 5A, which is the Cypress Range open space parcel discussion. And I will be hearing from Jim Moore, our new community development director. |
| 00:26:04.66 | Unknown | Yes, good evening, Madam Mayor. Can you hear me okay? Thank you. |
| 00:26:07.04 | Unknown | Yes, sir, we can. |
| 00:26:07.67 | Unknown | you good evening mayor gellman and fellow council members it's a pleasure to be here with you tonight if you recall at your last meeting a week ago the disposition of the or the cypress ridge open space parcels were on your list of potential future agenda items and in that discussion you decided to agendize it for tonight's meeting and ask staff to prepare a report which we. We had two and a half days to get it ready for the packet on Friday, but we hustled to get you the report that's before you tonight. The results in that staff report, we are providing you a description of the four parcels to comprise the site. Thank you. provided you with a chronology of notable actions that went from 74 to 80. We provided some discussion regarding its current zoning, sorry, general plan designation and zoning designations. We also provided in the staff report some limits of discussion about how it had been viewed in previous housing element and we're going to be that it currently is not considered part of the opportunity sites. Also subsequent to your staff report, We did some research at the county and found that there are no current conservation easements. We'd like to also thank Heidi and Mary Wagner, town attorney, for helping to do this research in record time and get this report to you. Um, Also, the should you decide to go further with this tonight after you discuss it you'll have to re-agendize it um for any further action on it And that completes the staff report. We're here to answer any QUESTIONS? |
| 00:27:48.92 | Unknown | Thanks very much. Mr. Moore, any questions for staff? |
| 00:27:54.96 | Unknown | Okay, I'm not seeing any at this time. I know we have, yes, Council Member Savieski. |
| 00:27:57.78 | Unknown | Yeah. Yeah, sorry. I have a question and welcome aboard Jim. Thank you. We're lucky to have you. Oh, thank you so much. I have no idea why he moved back We're happy to have you. Thank you. So once an easement is granted, on a part as can it ever be revoked? Is this a... |
| 00:28:25.15 | Unknown | I'd like to defer to your town attorney, Mary Wagner, for that one. |
| 00:28:36.79 | Mary Wagner | Thank you. Sorry about that. Thank you. Council member Soviet and members of the city council for the question. |
| 00:28:37.59 | Unknown | All right. |
| 00:28:41.92 | Mary Wagner | It somewhat depends on the structure of the easement itself and its terms, If, for example, the city chose to do something similar to what was done previously with the Butte Street property, AND I don't believe that that's a revocable easement, but we can look into that a little further for you. Council member Sobieski, if you would like. |
| 00:29:04.67 | Unknown | Okay, well, I guess I'll speak to that during the discussion period. But maybe you can... maybe someone else can just help educate me and the rest of the public just and maybe now is not the right time maybe we don't have all the information about the boundaries of the of different types of easements. |
| 00:29:23.05 | Unknown | Thank you. |
| 00:29:23.25 | Unknown | I'm familiar with private property easements that are in perpetuity. They basically modify the character of property and just like uh, you know, a mountain. they don't get moved. Thank you. Yeah. and they're a defining aspect of a piece of property. So I wanted to understand if, how they differ in terms of their of their perpetuity, how they differ about their perpetuity. that's not going to be a If anyone can speak to that now, that's my question. It seems like a pretty germany. |
| 00:30:00.47 | Mary Wagner | Sure. Let me see if I can take another shot at that for you, Councilmember Sobieski and You know, I think my response about easements are somewhat dependent on what they say themselves, for example. if a public utility has an easement on private property, It could revoke its own easement. If private parties have an easement amongst themselves, say for access or something of that sort. That stays in effect unless the parties choose to amend the easement or it's no longer necessary and it could be removed. Um, this open space easement question, I think it would be interesting for us to get you the documentation from open that, uh, we dealt with. on the Butte Street property. so that we can analyze that for you and you have that at your fingertips. Because I think that the proposal, at least the proposal that I've seen, is analogous to that. |
| 00:30:52.25 | Unknown | Okay. I guess that is the question, you know, to define our term, to have a discussion, we need to define our terms. And it's unclear to me. I'm not an attorney, but I remember that there's something against the law of perpetuities and that It's, and, but I don't know what the boundaries are about making unbounded commitments around property. City of Sausalito enacted an easement on property it owns. I guess what you're saying, Mary, is What I hear you say is that the city then could change that easement if it's the owner, just like utility could change its easement on utility easement but you're also I think saying that there's an example on Butte Street where that power is given away and That seems like an important detail. uh, there seemed potentially like two different, very different kinds of easements. And, um, and to be able to have a discussion, we need to know what we're talking about. |
| 00:31:48.81 | Unknown | And Councillor Sobieski, to rephrase your question, is it simply your inquiring whether conservation easements are granted in perpetuity. |
| 00:31:56.26 | Unknown | whether they're replicable, whether it's one way street. So once given, no future city council, no majority of the people of Sausalito, nothing can ever change it. much like property itself. And my understanding is that, uh, that's the way it is between. certain conservation trusts and private property easements. I think Mary did, our city attorney did say that It depends on the structure of the thing. My real question for both our comment and our later discussion is exactly what are we talking about? Are we talking about an irrevocable easement that can never be changed even by a majority vote of the population some future population of sausalito or is this something that will restrain the city council from acting with a three-person in the future to change something around this parcel or anything else. So I'm unclear as to what we're actually talking about. Oh, it turns out. |
| 00:32:50.71 | Unknown | Thank you. |
| 00:32:50.73 | Unknown | Thank you. |
| 00:32:50.80 | Unknown | Thank you. Thank you. |
| 00:32:51.07 | Unknown | Yeah, no more. Yeah, I actually think it's two separate questions, right? So conservation easements are granted in perpetuity and yes, they can be amended. So that's my understanding. So we're trying to have a different understanding of that. |
| 00:33:04.97 | Mary Wagner | That's not a different understanding, but again, you know, it depends on the terms of the structure. But I think... with respect to the Butte Street property, that property was actually transferred out of city ownership to a conservation trust. So, That's a whole other structure that applies to that. property council member sobieski it's not that property was not retained by the city |
| 00:33:31.70 | Unknown | Okay, so that seems like a way of getting the the thing to be out of reach of any future choice and so I guess I'm a little bit still wondering and responding to the mayor's question not to get into the discussion but if the If we don't do that structure of transferring Seppras Ridge property, for example, outside to another if the city retains ownership of it, And we issue, if we had a conservation issue, if we retain ownership and the city issues of easement, the conservation easement. And as the mayor pointed out, the easement can be changed. um, then Does it, is it really preserving the property in perpetuity? Isn't the ability then for the city with three modes of the city council, for instance, to simply modify the easement at any time essentially diluting it to zero. |
| 00:34:26.17 | Mary Wagner | So I think this is somewhat... semantics but just to throw this out there also the city can't grant itself an easement under real property law, those would merge together and they extinguish. but there's other structures that can be put in place for the property to be deed restricted as open space. And so council member Sobieski to your question, I think it's somewhat dependent on what the city council wants to do. And there are structures in place. Jude Street comes to mind. where it is created in perpetuity and transferred to a different entity. if the council wants to retain the property and but prevent future councils from um altering that that's something we would have to look into for you |
| 00:35:14.57 | Unknown | Okay, so just saying it back to you, just to make sure I heard it correctly. the It's an easy issue just by the city that we own is not enough. If we wanted to do something that would be in perpetuity and couldn't be changed by a future city council where you can buy a vote of the people who have to require some sort of ownership transfer or ownership encumbrance. that would Yeah. and, that the sacred search property would be affected by. |
| 00:35:41.06 | Mary Wagner | YES, I BELIEVE THAT THAT IS AN ACCURATE SUMMARY. But again, it's all dependent on the terms and the structure and how the, the documentation is put into place. So I think that the policy question and policy direction from the council would frame the potential mechanisms that we would bring back to the council for consideration if that is in fact the council's direction. |
| 00:36:06.73 | Unknown | We'll be right back. |
| 00:36:06.93 | Mary Wagner | Thank you. |
| 00:36:06.97 | Unknown | the best case. |
| 00:36:07.49 | Mary Wagner | Thank you. |
| 00:36:07.51 | Unknown | THE END OF THE END OF THE |
| 00:36:07.71 | Mary Wagner | Thank you. Thank you. |
| 00:36:08.35 | Unknown | So first for now, |
| 00:36:08.91 | Unknown | Bye. |
| 00:36:08.92 | Unknown | Thank you. but move the ball forward in my understanding. Yes. |
| 00:36:12.38 | Unknown | THANK YOU, SIR. |
| 00:36:12.89 | Unknown | you Vice Mayor. Jim, hi, welcome. Nice to have you. We're very lucky to have you. And, but did I hear you say there was no conservation easement in Marin County? Were you referring to specifically Cypress Ridge or across Marin County? |
| 00:36:28.14 | Unknown | No, I was referring to the lots in question. |
| 00:36:30.84 | Unknown | Okay. I was just wanting to get a better understanding. |
| 00:36:33.78 | Unknown | Sure. |
| 00:36:34.86 | Unknown | And, And then also in the staff report, and I don't know if it was since modified, But there was no clear historical conversation about the designation change on the zoning map after 1974. Were you able to find any further information about that? |
| 00:36:53.96 | Unknown | No, not at this point. We just could not figure out how it went. from P Park Republic back to open space. You haven't been able to discern that. |
| 00:37:03.26 | Unknown | You haven't been able Okay. Okay, thanks for your efforts in trying to figure that out. |
| 00:37:10.03 | Unknown | We did our best in a short amount of time, and we're here to help in any further assistance. Thank you. |
| 00:37:15.63 | Unknown | And then we also got some public comment. Yeah, I know you did a great job, but you put a lot of effort and time into it and a lot of historical digging to pull up you documents from 1974. So I just wanted to see if, because you had mentioned in the staff report, we are looking, so I just wanted to touch on this |
| 00:37:28.14 | Eva Cresante | Thank you. |
| 00:37:28.25 | Unknown | Thank you. |
| 00:37:28.32 | Eva Cresante | Yeah. |
| 00:37:32.05 | Unknown | found anything else out. And then I did want to note too, that we got some public comment from Sandra Bushmaker asking for some additions and it looks like your team did provide those and those are included and uploaded. |
| 00:37:43.71 | Unknown | that's the best. That's correct. Thank you. |
| 00:37:44.93 | Unknown | responding to those so quickly. as well. |
| 00:37:48.42 | Unknown | THANK YOU. And I could not have done this without Heidi and Mary. It was a team effort. Thank you. |
| 00:37:55.96 | Unknown | Thank you. Thank you, Vice Mayor. |
| 00:38:00.86 | Unknown | Thank you, Mayor, and welcome, Jim. Thank you. |
| 00:38:03.71 | Unknown | Thank you. |
| 00:38:04.96 | Unknown | Thank you. For clarity, |
| 00:38:04.99 | Unknown | I think. |
| 00:38:05.31 | Unknown | Thank you. |
| 00:38:07.25 | Unknown | for the public. Our staff report says that this. that Cypress Ridge is currently zoned as open space and it's designated on the zoning map as open space. Is that correct? |
| 00:38:19.86 | Unknown | Yes. It's currently designated in both the general plan and the zoning ordinance as such. |
| 00:38:26.89 | Unknown | And it is not on our housing opportunity center. |
| 00:38:30.40 | Unknown | That's correct. That's what our most recent research shows, yes. I mean, that is the most recent list does not include it. |
| 00:38:38.15 | Unknown | Okay. Thank you. Thank you, member. Councilman Cleveland-Hills. I have another question for the city attorney. I did see some correspondence around ballot measure E And I'm just wondering as a matter of municipal law, if you have a bond measure that is sold to the voters for a specific use case, and that bond measure passes, does the use case have to be carried out. So this was ballot measure E and I believe it said, this was to raise funds for circus ridge to be held as a preserve |
| 00:39:18.50 | Mary Wagner | So the question is, does that ever expire? Once the bond funds have been expended, are you required to hold that as per the use? that went out to the vote for the bonds. |
| 00:39:28.66 | Unknown | Interesting. I hadn't thought to ask it that way, but I guess that's a related secondary question. So I guess the first question, thank you for that. Cause the first question is, If you pass a ballot measure and it represents the voters that there'll be certain use and it passes, does that use have to transpire? And then I guess the secondary question that you just presented AND I THINK THAT THEY |
| 00:39:48.97 | Mary Wagner | answer to your first question is yes. you use the funds for the purpose for which they were obtained. That was, I believe your first question. Yes. The question about how long does that remain in effect is a question that we would need to do some more research for you. on. THE FAMILY. |
| 00:40:06.96 | Unknown | I mean, it expires. I had never. |
| 00:40:09.58 | Mary Wagner | Thank you. |
| 00:40:09.66 | Unknown | Thank you. |
| 00:40:09.78 | Mary Wagner | I'm sorry, Madam Mayor, I may interrupt you. |
| 00:40:12.23 | Unknown | Oh no, no, I never heard that it would expire. I mean, if you had a ballot measure and for a particular use case, What would you mean by exploration of the funds? So it was a |
| 00:40:22.98 | Mary Wagner | This is not an analogous example, but for a different example is bonds that were utilized or were put out under a particular provision of the street and highway code to acquire public parking lots something that has been looked into. Um, for a different purpose. then there's a process that you have to go through for to release the property from that use. So we need to look into whether there's similar, a similar provision here. that would require a process to change the use and we haven't had time to do that research, Madam Mayor. Thank you. Sure. |
| 00:41:04.42 | Unknown | I'm sure the phone. Okay, any other council members have questions for staff? Okay, I don't see any other hands. So we'll go ahead and open this to public comment. Everybody will have two minutes and I'll just ask that you please state your name for the record. and then we will have a timer up on screen as well. So Serge, can you please announce again how someone may provide public comments since I think some new people have joined us. |
| 00:41:29.51 | Serge Avila | I'm not sure. video or audio Public comment participation is limited to two minutes per speaker. If you would like to make a comment, please raise your hand in the Zoom application. and you will be called upon when it's your time to speak. to raise your hand from the phone, press start nine, and each speaker will be notified when the time has elapsed. Madam Mayor, it looks like we do have several hands raised. And I will start with Leon on teams. And Leon, you've been unmuted and asked to chair your video. |
| 00:42:11.91 | Unknown | You can hear me clearly. Yes, welcome. Thank you. Could I prologue my two minutes with the issue of conservation easement? I worked with Mary on that issue since, since Ian raised the question of does anyone out there know about conservation easement? So I, I, |
| 00:42:22.32 | Unknown | in Canada. |
| 00:42:33.44 | Unknown | thought of that as an invitation for open |
| 00:42:38.33 | Unknown | Sorry, Mr. Herning, that would not be the appropriate use of your public comment, but let me do this. Serge, can you please reset the clock? |
| 00:42:38.77 | Unknown | Bye. you I'm not sure. |
| 00:42:45.49 | Unknown | Back to the two minutes. And Mr. Renning, if you just want to give your public comment on any topic related to this, we'd welcome it. |
| 00:42:52.39 | Unknown | Thank you. Mayor Kalman, council members, staff, and participants, I'm Leon Hunting, a 51-year resident and a former city council member. We are proposing that the council place a conservation easement on the Cypress Ridge open space. to protect the flora, fauna, wildlife habitats, and park enjoyment. in perpetuity of the property. We have major nonprofits supporting us and they have sent letters to the council These parties include Marin Chapter of the Sierra Club, Marin Conservation League, California Native Plant Society, Marin Audubon Society, Wild Care, and Alan Fish, who is the executive director of the Golden Gate Raptor Observatory. Housing Community Development, HCD, is the lead department for the California housing element. At my request, HCD was directly contacted by a California state legislators housing aid and asked about open space and conservation easements as they relate to the mandate. The response was clear and simple, quote, If a site is zoned open space, or if it has an easement on it. then it should not be identified as arena site, unquote. I asked this last year and got this response. I asked it this year and got the same response. Cypress Ridge is located at the northwest area of Sausalito between Rodeo Avenue and Highway 101. It was acquired by a municipal bond measure in 1976. Measure E preserved Cypress Ridge as a permanent open space and this council has no authority to override the vote of the people. We invite all who are interested in contacting us to take a tour. |
| 00:44:57.01 | Unknown | THE FAMILY. |
| 00:44:57.30 | Unknown | contacting you |
| 00:44:58.38 | Unknown | Thank you. |
| 00:44:58.39 | Serge Avila | Thank you. |
| 00:44:58.41 | Unknown | Yeah. my apologies um your two minutes have elapsed um hopefully somebody else will pick up your your comment THANK YOU, SIR. |
| 00:45:07.62 | Serge Avila | Our next speaker, Bill Monet, William, and you're unmuted and ask to share your video. |
| 00:45:20.42 | Unknown | Thank you. |
| 00:45:20.43 | Unknown | Welcome, Mr. Monet. Thank you. I'm Bill Mone, president of Open Space Sausalito. In 2016, we commissioned a biological assessment of the open space in western Sausalito, including Cypress Ridge. And a key finding was that the existence of our local wildlife depends on Cypress Ridge remaining open space. Um, We talked to Alan Fish, the executive director of the Golden Gate Raptors of Torrey. He told us this area is great biological value and South Florida's ridgelines and Cypress Ridge represent the greatest bottleneck for migrating raptors in the Pacific Flyway. 30 to 40,000 birds of prey in the fall, 10,000 in the spring, 19 species protected by the migratory Federal Migratory Bird Act, Bald Eagles, Peregrine Falcons, So, We strongly support conservation easement for the Cypress Lodge lands identified in the report for their biological value. And this should be legal housekeeping. It will make neat and precise what should be obvious. Um, the Council has no authority to change the use of Cypress Ridge to anything other than parks or open space. Measure E in 76 was self evidently clear in its promise. The promise was If citizens approve the measure, then Cypress Ridge would be preserved as permanent open space. The ballot question and the argument are unequivocal, I'll quote. open space bonds. for acquisition for open space preservation, recommended for permanent open space preservation. Passage of the bond measure will ensure the preservation of the Cypress Ridge area in its natural state for the benefit of future generations of Sausalitoans. That's us. it. the fact that we're now having this discussion and that the history of measure E has been forgotten. And for example, last week's, debate about whether Cypress Ridge was preserved or reserved. shows why we need the conservation easement. It requires no rezoning, no taxes, no fees, but it will require the city to keep its promise. Bill, your two minutes have a lot. |
| 00:47:22.32 | Serge Avila | Thank you. |
| 00:47:22.37 | Unknown | Thank you. |
| 00:47:22.76 | Serge Avila | Bye. |
| 00:47:23.40 | Unknown | Thank you. |
| 00:47:23.45 | Serge Avila | THE FAMILY. |
| 00:47:23.96 | Unknown | All right. |
| 00:47:25.81 | Serge Avila | Our next speaker. or Jim. Which one? And Jim, you've been unmuted and asked to share your video. |
| 00:47:34.88 | Unknown | Welcome Mr. Richard. |
| 00:47:35.62 | Unknown | Thank you. Um, Thank you. Thank you. Mayor, Kelman, and council members, my name is Jim Richardson, and I've lived in Sausalito for 10 years. I'm a director of open space Sausalito and we'll be talking briefly about the ecology of Cypress Ridge. Oak trees are a big deal for wildlife and Cypress Ridge is filled with them. Oaks are critical because they attract a large number of insects and caterpillars and are the main food that all birds feed their young fledglings. Just a single pair of small birds may need 6,000 to 9,000 caterpillars to feed their young. and 90% of insects cannot develop on non-native plants. Most planted plants do attract insects and caterpillars but a few do much better than the rest. and ruin its oaks and willow trees with each supporting 250 caterpillar species. Only a few native plants support over 50. So this is why Cypress Ruge's critical habitat for nesting and migratory birds. Almost all of Sauclida's open spaces disappeared over the last century. 25% of the land in Mill Valley, Tiburon, and Corte Madeira is preserved open space, but in Sausalito, it is just 1.5%. And almost all of it is in Cyprus Ridge. Our access to the marine headlands will not be able to substitute for land lost at Cypress Ridge. This is because wildlife is landmark on either side of the freeway. A National Park Service study demonstrated this by putting radio colors on animals in the headlands and tracking their movement. Cypress Ridge is the only open space East of the freeway, where people can hike, and where workers can visit for lunch and enjoy its incredible views of Angel Island, Richardson Bay, and Mount Tam. ABAG's RENA quotas are not meant to encroach on open space. to truly identify Potential housing sites did not include any of Cypress Ridge, and avoids open space in general. Haybag's draft plan Bay Area 2050 states that the majority of growth is allocated to growth geographies. which is defines as places with the well-resourced schools and access to jobs and open space. Please vote to place a conservation easement on Cypress Ridge to keep this a valuable public resource. As understood, over 10 minutes have elapsed. Thank you, Mr. Mitchell. Thank you. |
| 00:49:38.01 | Serge Avila | Our next speaker is Linda Piper. |
| 00:49:39.60 | Unknown | you |
| 00:49:39.78 | Serge Avila | Monday? |
| 00:49:42.03 | Unknown | Welcome, Luna Fifa. |
| 00:49:45.35 | Serge Avila | You've been unmuted and asked to show your video. any challenge. |
| 00:49:55.28 | Unknown | Hello? up. Unmute again, please. |
| 00:50:03.32 | Unknown | No. Thank you. |
| 00:50:05.67 | Unknown | some you don't know. Can you hear me? Yes. Thank you. Sorry about that. Hello, my name is Linda Pfeiffer, secretary of Open Space Sausalito. I wanna thank Mayor Kappelman and Council Member Hoffman for putting this on the agenda. I served on the city council from 2008 to 2016 and I thought for residents for transparency and for preservation. Ballot measure E passed by a vote of the public in 1976, adopted by resolution 2615 by the council on July 6th, 76, states the following. This is the actual ballot language. Shall the city of Sausalito incur a bonded indebtedness in the principal amount of 560,000 for the acquisition of the following municipal improvement to wit, park and recreation facilities comprising the acquisition for open space preservation of those lands commonly referred to as Cypress Ridge. Measure E is unambiguous in its intention to preserve the parcels that comprise what is known as Cypress Ridge for open space. Therefore this legislation that resulted from a public vote cannot be undone or otherwise altered by votes or actions of the Saucydo City Council. Cypress Ridge cannot be considered for rezoning for housing, inclusion in any housing element, or any other zoned use that would contradict the clear intention of Measure E. |
| 00:51:37.96 | Unknown | measures |
| 00:51:39.28 | Unknown | When I was on council, I fought for the resident voice, preservation, and transparency. The council has no authority to override Measure E, the voice of the people. Only a ballot vote can overturn Measure E. |
| 00:51:39.39 | Unknown | I know. |
| 00:51:52.91 | Unknown | Thank you. Speaking of transparency, is this council has evident events. that overrides, contradicts, or nullifies this ballot measure. The public has a right to know right now and tonight. Thank you very much. Thank you very much. |
| 00:52:13.45 | Serge Avila | My next speaker is Peter Bromanovsky. Peter, you've been unmuted and I'd like to share your video. |
| 00:52:29.78 | Peter Romanowski | Mr. Romanoski? Can you hear me okay? Yes, sir. Okay. of. Yeah, yeah, sounds great. You know, We need all the open space we can. and you Uh-oh. As far as, Easements, easements. So we had an easement in our house in San Somo, in our park-like house with Redwoods. We had a public easement that went from one street to another. But after you block that easement for like so many, you know, one year after seven years or something. it goes private against them. So this is the you know, in private part of our to our house. Anyways, our easements also easements, you know, per anchorout. to land on shore. We used to have three or four places to land on shore, And now we only have one. over there on Locust Street. And, uh, this sort of easement. And, They closed down to one at Galley Harbor, which is a total scam of a place. It's not a Marine Service Harbor. It's a scam, and you all know it. and you're all guilty. for knowing it. The Galley Harbor is a totally phony place and took out our thingy dog. . So did Schoonamink. And these marinas have to have public access for votes. when they got their permits. And anyways, I'm just not condemning anybody. I'm just informing, you know what I mean? And, um, More public land and better. In fact, I have a dream that up there, Rodeo Drive, that all those houses be torn down as like marine debris, like they've been calling our homes marine debris. These houses on the ridge up there on the end of Rodeo Drive should be taken down and that should be open public space. It's just a dream. But everything starts with a dream, you know what I mean? I have a dream that we could drive up there and that be a public area. with one of the greatest views of Marin County I'm not sure. They weren't. Good evening. |
| 00:54:34.41 | Serge Avila | Your two minutes have a lot. |
| 00:54:37.14 | Unknown | to serve. |
| 00:54:41.24 | Serge Avila | Our next speaker is My vote. Rogers, you've been unmuted and has to share your video. |
| 00:54:49.85 | Unknown | Hi, good evening. I'm actually Michael Rogers. And good evening. Good evening. My name is Michael Rogers. My family has lived in Sausalito since the 1920s. And we still own multiple homes here in town. We are longtime taxpayers. My father helped build the Golden Gate Bridge and both my grandfather and my grandmother worked in the Wren ship shipyards along with many others to help save America. Tonight, I'm here to ask the council to vote yes, for the conservation easement for the Cypress Ridge Reserve to help us save this part of America that my grandparents voted for in 1976. They voted to preserve this open space in Sausalito for all those that would come after. for people and wildlife please keep this open space as intended thank you |
| 00:55:41.33 | Unknown | I'm Lorette Rogers Mike's wife fourth generation right Sausalito property owner for decades my grandfather also worked on Renship and I've spent the past 30 years full time doing habitat restoration for wildlife we have to do this because as more habitats been destroyed native native species become endangered and extinct so I'm urging the council members to save the last significant habitat in Sausalito by voting yes for a conservation easement for this Ridge Preserve. Cypress Ridge Preserve is an important corridor and habitat for wildlife. Please save this last bit of wild salsa. |
| 00:56:22.51 | Unknown | Thank you. |
| 00:56:23.05 | Unknown | Thank you. |
| 00:56:24.35 | Robbie Powelson | Thank you. |
| 00:56:25.71 | Unknown | Thank you. |
| 00:56:25.73 | Unknown | Thank you very much. |
| 00:56:29.95 | Serge Avila | Our next speaker will be Kathy? Kathy, you've been unmuted and asked to share your video. |
| 00:56:37.17 | Unknown | Amen. |
| 00:56:43.55 | Unknown | Thank you. |
| 00:56:43.57 | Unknown | or unmute, Ms. Roger. |
| 00:56:45.62 | Unknown | Can you hear me now? |
| 00:56:46.62 | Unknown | Yes. Exactly. |
| 00:56:48.78 | Unknown | Thank you. I am another member of the Rogers family and I'm a homeowner in Sausalito. I urge the council to vote yes on the conservation easement for Cypress Ridge preserve. |
| 00:56:58.45 | Unknown | I'm sorry. |
| 00:56:59.85 | Unknown | saving the last 15 acres of open space from development. The voters of Sausalito have already voiced their opinion on preserving this space permanently from development. Doesn't their vote count? Who are you to overturn what our citizens have voted for? The voting system is a sham if this easement is not approved. Thank you. |
| 00:57:23.31 | Unknown | Thank you very much, Ms. Rogers. |
| 00:57:26.48 | Serge Avila | Our next speaker, Thank you. Nichols? Vicki, you've been unmuted. |
| 00:57:38.06 | Vicki Nichols | Dr. McGee. Hi, good evening, Mayor Kalman and council members. I'm here this evening representing the Marin Conservation League. Marin Conservation League is an organization with 700 plus members. It was started in 1934 with the goal of preserving and protection of the natural assets of Marin County. We did a recent walking site of this location and we assessed it for its habitat value. and we urge the council to place this land under a conservation easement. Mr. Hunting was a slightly premature. This action just took place tonight before the meeting when the board approved this. So I said I was coming anyway, they asked to announce it. You have not received the letter yet. now that stops my conservation um marine conservationally comments but as a 40-year sausalito citizen i'd like to say i've not heard this said that in 1976 this 560 000 would be equivalent today to 2.7 million dollars clearly the community held this property in high value in their hearts and was willing to expend the money to buy it In addition, this area was considered to be part of the GGNRA National Program. lands that we have now. At the last minute, it was carved out because it was adjacent to on the east side of the freeway. That evaluation of its habitat value, I think speaks in itself. And I also agree, don't bait and switch. The citizens voted to this with clear language. This is my comments now. I've given you conservation legs. But please, you must honor this. Thank you. Thank you, Ms. Nichols. |
| 00:59:25.41 | Serge Avila | Our next speaker is Carolyn Revell. Carolyn, you've been unmuted and asked to share your video. |
| 00:59:33.06 | Unknown | Okay. |
| 00:59:33.46 | Serge Avila | Yeah. |
| 00:59:36.79 | Unknown | I'm muted. You are hearing me? Yes, sir. Thank you. . |
| 00:59:40.03 | Carolyn Revell | I'm Carolyn Revell, a Sausalito resident for 16 years. Mayor Kellerman, |
| 00:59:45.02 | Unknown | Mayor Blaustein and members of the council. There are many reasons to pursue a conservation easement for Cypress Ridge, as you've been hearing. A major concern is that development on the parcels would involve extensive tree removal, To combat climate change, we need to be planting hundreds of trees, not cutting them down. but because of drought conditions, it's becoming difficult to get MMWD permission to plant new trees. The argument is being made that we might need Cypress Ridge as a site for new housing to meet our arena requirements. I think housing versus open space preservation is a false choice. there are better ways to provide for new housing than to build on precious open space, cutting down trees, creating potential landslide problems and endangering wildlife. Good planning in this era of climate change would locate new housing, especially affordable housing near transit. That is with access to bus and ferry. |
| 01:00:37.86 | Vicki Nichols | Thank you. |
| 01:00:38.47 | Unknown | Thank you. |
| 01:00:38.48 | Vicki Nichols | not up in the hills where residents would be dependent on their cars and generate more CO2 emissions. |
| 01:00:44.07 | Unknown | you Thank you. |
| 01:00:44.36 | Vicki Nichols | you |
| 01:00:44.42 | Unknown | So I urge the council to endorse a process to create a conservation easement perhaps finding a land trust to be the holder of the easement so that it could be held as open space in perpetuity. Thank you very much. I think it was wrong. |
| 01:01:00.52 | Serge Avila | Our next speaker. is Robbie Patterson. Bobby, you have been unmuted and has to share your video. |
| 01:01:09.45 | Robbie Powelson | I just like to make a record that I counted. Oh, it must have been. 9 out of 12. 75% of the speakers all referenced housing. and the fear of development on the property. I think everybody who's, upset about the way that, you know, developers metropolitan governments are coming into Sausalito and changing character. should be very concerned about Sausalito's collaboration and crushing people's boat homes on Richardson Bay precipitating creative to camp. that is now THE END OF rapidly deteriorated because of mismanagement by the city. and really inspect why were these officials allowed to crush these people's homes because now the state attorney general is not going to look kindly on the city. if they're skirting their rental requirements, on when it's clearly I'm down. the belt. And because of the amount of police violence and just the shocking disregard for loss in the city of Sausalito. So people need to be concerned about that. and oppose the continued destruction of the anchorage that is slated to be done by 2026, which is only going to, If yes, we're going to bring Rob Bonta here again, just like he did when he desegregated the school district. I'm sorry. AND THE SECRETARY OF That's what I So please be aware of that and be concerned about how Sausalito and RBRA which is a very regional agency. treating people living anchored out. |
| 01:03:02.01 | Unknown | Thank you, Mr. Pelison. Sir, she was our next speaker. |
| 01:03:04.96 | Serge Avila | And next speaker is Laura Rogers, Laura, you've been unmuted and asked to share your video. |
| 01:03:17.06 | Unknown | Thank you. |
| 01:03:17.07 | Unknown | Thank you. |
| 01:03:18.31 | Unknown | for over 90 years. I want you council members to vote yes for a conservation easement. a Cypress Ridge Preserve. Please save this life's peace. of land. Thank you. Thank you, Ms. Rogers. |
| 01:03:36.51 | Serge Avila | Your next speaker is Judy. |
| 01:03:36.73 | Unknown | Thanks. |
| 01:03:38.47 | Serge Avila | Good morning. Judy, you've been unmuted and I'll show you a video. |
| 01:03:44.06 | Unknown | I thank you. This is Judy Shreveman. I am the current chair of the Marine Group Sierra Club representing over 5,000 members in Green County. Also like to thank Ms. Blaustein, Ms. Kilman, our two candidates that we've endorsed for this board. And we hope you will keep that in mind as you vote on this. The Sierra Club fully supports the preservation of Cypress Ridge with a conservation easement. |
| 01:03:51.13 | Alice Merrill | Thank you. |
| 01:04:09.02 | Unknown | We're holding you responsible for protecting this important piece of land. And I would like to remind you what it'd be like in our area if the leaders who preserved Muir Woods decided to log it instead. This is your legacy moment. legacy moment to preserve this important piece of land and follow the law and follow the will of the people who voted on Measure E. We'd like to point out that Harvard biologist E.O. Wilson projects that one of every five species will die out in the next 25 years. It'd never be known by our grandchildren. Do any of you have children or grandchildren? Is this the legacy you wish? This important corridor keeps these species alive, gives them access to fresh water. This is critical. It is really important. And we have sent a letter as of January 11th to your council, which I believe was not given to you until tonight. I would like you to please read it. It goes into much more extensively why we believe that this Cypress Ridge property is a community value and should be preserved with a conservation easement This is critically important for habitat for all species in this area. Thank you. And, um, Please just do this. It's a legacy moment. you. to preserve this area, thank you. THANK YOU, MS. RUMA. |
| 01:05:32.58 | Serge Avila | Our next speaker is Pamela Omar, have you been unmuted and I'll share your video? |
| 01:05:46.08 | Unknown | Welcome. Good evening, council and mayor. I'm Pamela Meigs. I live in Fairfax. I'm the founder of the Fairfax Open Space Committee 2004. |
| 01:05:46.28 | Unknown | Bye. |
| 01:05:57.22 | Unknown | Um, I'm also on the executive committee for the Marin County Sierra Club. And I learned about this project through Leon hunting. And so I'm here tonight. And I support every word that Judy Shriegman just talked about. I'm here to talk about extinction of the species. It is profound. We can't even It's to talk about it is so profound. And so I want to support this conservation easement. And I hope you understand what a conservation easement is. It will protect this land, even if it's open space, they can sometimes break those deeds and sell it anyway, but a conservation easement will hold that land forever. And it will not, the deed can't be broken or sold or whatever. So, I'm asking you, to please go ahead with this conservation easement. and read the letter that we put a lot of heart and soul into it. from the Sierra Club. and I thank you very much. Thank you for joining. Appreciate that. |
| 01:07:13.07 | Serge Avila | Our next speaker is Sharon Farrell. Sharon, you've been unmuted and has to share your video. |
| 01:07:20.53 | Unknown | Hi, good evening. Thank you so much for your time. Um, I'm a newly elected member. of the Sierra Club Marin Group Executive Committee And I am here tonight to express my solid support for the conservation easement. I'd like to remind the council and the mayor of the importance of the wildlife that uses the part of the corridor to be able to continue using the corridor to access the Sausalito Creek Wildlife Refuge. which has year-round running water from a spring-fed creek which is protected by the Sausalito City Conservation Also the Sausalito Creek Wildlife Refuge site has been listed by the US Fish and Wildlife Service as a wetlands resource. cameras have captured the critical need for wildlife to have this land undeveloped to continue its life so we are caretakers of the wildlife and we we need to preserve and protect this parcel and this land with a conservation easement Sausalito belongs to all of us all of Marinites we all enjoy it as well as Sausalito citizens thank you so much Thank you, Ms. Romo. |
| 01:08:56.63 | Serge Avila | The next speaker is Arthur Bruce. Arthur, you've been unmuted and I ask to share your video. Thank you. |
| 01:09:06.54 | Arthur Bruce | Hi everybody, Arthur Bruce here. Can you hear me okay? |
| 01:09:09.81 | Unknown | Yes, we can. |
| 01:09:11.30 | Arthur Bruce | WONDERFUL. Yeah, I just think that just chime my two cents in about preserving the open space in the Raptors. Now, they're also a big fan of the eelgrass. Thank you. |
| 01:09:23.90 | Unknown | Amen. |
| 01:09:25.02 | Arthur Bruce | And, uh, You know, it's unfortunate that there's so many miles Docks and giant boats permanently shading the ocean floor from anything ever growing underneath it again. I'm echoing Peter Romanowski's comment, I think that You know, it'd be great if, uh, those just weren't there and we could have, uh, larger return to the natural ecology that once was Richardson Bay. So all that being said, I'm going to just go ahead and cast my vote and I vote that We destroy the anchor outs and preserve the raptors. Thank you. . |
| 01:10:04.98 | Serge Avila | MR. BRUCE? Next speaker. is Barbara Seltzman. Bye-bye, you've been on mute, and I'll see you in the video. |
| 01:10:16.27 | Unknown | Hi, I'm Barbara Salzman. I'm here representing the Marin Audubon Society. I would like to second most of the other commenters and urge you to vote to enact a conservation easement on this property because of its value to wildlife and to people, and especially seconding Alan Fish's comments. So thank you, and I hope you. Follow through with the conservation easement to support what the public has already wanted to do here thanks Thank you, Ms. Salsman. |
| 01:10:52.68 | Serge Avila | Our next speaker, ND. I'll stay. Andy, you've been I'm going to associate the video. |
| 01:11:05.80 | Unknown | You're still muted, sir. |
| 01:11:09.19 | Unknown | What do you think? Thank you. Sorry. Good evening, Mayor Common, council members, staff and participants. My name is Andy Koster and I've lived in Sausalito for the past 22 years. I would like to voice my support for the conservation easement of codes for Cypress Ridge open space. I think it's important that we respect the wishes of Sausalito voted to fund the bond measure that purchased Cypress Ridge for preservation in the first place as permanent open space in 1976. Thank you for your time. |
| 01:11:41.18 | Unknown | Thank you very much. |
| 01:11:45.50 | Serge Avila | The next speaker is Alice Murrow. You've been unmuted and yesterday. |
| 01:11:52.64 | Alice Merrill | Oh. Thank you all for hearing about this just as a regular old resident and Sausalito, Ms. Masluto-Person. I think it makes perfect sense to keep this as it is. I'm guessing that my parents voted for this because that's what they did. And so I would, that's, you know, it's all, people voted for it, it's on there. I'm just going to say that as a, Being in nature, my father always used to say, if he took people out on his boat, They would think differently about the water and the sea and They wouldn't just be on land looking at it. They'd be on the water looking at the land and it would give them a different perspective. And I believe that that, happens when we have a place where we can walk and be around creatures and see birds go overhead and in a place that's more natural for them than is for us. I'm hoping that you make that. Okay, thank you. Thank you, Alice. |
| 01:13:03.58 | Serge Avila | Our next speakers, Eva's iPhone. I bet you've been unmuted, Mr. Chair, your video. |
| 01:13:14.33 | Eva Cresante | Hello, can you hear me? We can walk on. Yeah, thanks. I support the conservation easement, but I do have to say I find it a little hypocritical that we're making such a fuss about this open space, but most of the people you've heard weigh in on this lead lifestyles that are incredibly damaging to the environment. So while they're willing to kind of in a Horton Hears a Who way, try to, you know, make a big deal about this particular plot of land, their overall... carbon footprint is is huge and meanwhile the city of Sausalito is treating very shabbily um the people who have the smallest uh environmental footprint and that that was the anchor outs and in fact all throughout this county you you visit encampments and you see people living um very frugally and with a very small footprint and these are people we beat down the most uh it's the most uh police brutality and the most arrests and uh just the hypocrisy is stunning. I've heard Barbara Saltzman many times on the RBRA meetings and very few questions are asked about Audubon Society's ties with Chevron. There's enormous pollution. polluting companies, funding these nonprofits, and deeper questions need to be asked about what environmentalism is, what demands and sacrifices we need to ask of ourselves, and how we treat people who are actually living pretty pretty modestly in ways that are actually helping preserve any sort of environment for your children and grandchildren. So I hope you can think bigger. Thank you. Thank you very much. |
| 01:15:20.47 | Serge Avila | Our next speaker is Susan Hawkins. Season 1. I don't know that I'm going to be able to. |
| 01:15:29.75 | Unknown | Yes, hello. I'm a Marin County resident for almost 20 years. And like so many others, I am imploring you to make this last one of a kind piece of nature within our amazing Sausalito suburban landscape. protected for perpetuity. with the conservation easement. And I, Think of the planned Maroncello development from the 60s that would have destroyed our Marin headlands, how cherished this area is today. both locally and from visitors really from around the world. The wildlife that enriches our lives, the wild nature that we can still witness needs a place at this human directed table in this time of the Anthropocene. So please create this as open space as home Thank you. for our wildlife neighbors for now and for forevermore into the future Please do the right thing. Thank you. Thank you, Susan. |
| 01:16:39.82 | Serge Avila | Our next speaker is Susan's iPad. Susan, you've been unmuted and asked to share your video. |
| 01:16:50.92 | Unknown | Welcome, Susan. Good evening. Let's see. I didn't want my face on there. Okay, so at any rate, Good evening, all of you. Uh... As usual, a very exciting topic here. But, you know, I wanna echo what others have said, but what I really wanna writ large here is you have no right to do this. You have no right TO BE putting this over to HIAC. to be evaluated for housing. We, I voted. Sonya voted for this to be open space explicitly in perpetuity. We didn't want it just for a while. And you're opening yourself up a big bad can of worms if you go against the will of the people the will of the people. And I'm not even drinking, so I don't know where I'm going with this. Anyway, that's all I wanted to say. Thanks. Good night. |
| 01:18:00.77 | Serge Avila | Right. I NEXT SPEAKER. is Quinn Custer and Quinn, you've been unmuted and has to share your video. |
| 01:18:13.68 | Unknown | Hi, I'm Quinn Costar. I've also not been drinking. But yeah, I am. I've lived down the street from Cypress Ridge my whole life. As I would for any other incredibly important piece of this town, I would like to voice my support for the conservation of Cypress Ridge. |
| 01:18:36.97 | Unknown | Thank you, Chris. |
| 01:18:41.79 | Serge Avila | Our next speaker is Sonia Hanson. Sonia, you've been unmuted. Nice to share your video. |
| 01:19:07.85 | Unknown | Sorry, at the last minute I realized my machine was about to run out. I'm not sure. Can you hear me at this point? Yes, welcome. Okay. Thank you. My name is Sonya Hanson. I lived in this wonderful community of ours for 50 plus years, I guess. and I find the as everyone or many before Thank you. saying this had said, we have very little open space in this town and throughout Marin County there is There's tremendous amounts of open space, and it's a very important of open space that's sitting you at the top of Rodeo. I'm... people with much more knowledge than I have already said why they believe that's true. and that it is true. And my concern is, We did pass this by a very large boat in 1976 and our intent was very clear. We wanted to maintain this as open space. going forward. AND NOW, there was a suggestion that the housing element advisory committee is going to sit and decide what's going to happen with this, whether it should be considered for housing. Thank you. I find that appalling. There are two council members from the last meeting on the 11th that clearly think that the housing elements. advisory committee should make this decision. there are two members that clearly think THEY SHOULDN'T BE And... Council member Sobieski was not here at the last meeting. I'm not sure what his position is, but I am asking all of you to realize you have a responsibility to maintaining the trust with the residents actually voted on this. AND, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE spent the money on it. It's not something that you should be messing with. Thank you very much. |
| 01:21:03.35 | Unknown | THANK YOU, SIR. |
| 01:21:03.83 | Unknown | Thank you. |
| 01:21:03.86 | Serge Avila | Thank you. |
| 01:21:07.98 | Serge Avila | The next speaker, Sandra Bushmaker. Sandra, you've been in here today. |
| 01:21:12.96 | Unknown | Good evening, everybody. I'm not going to speak for or against the conservation easement issue. My understanding is that is not on the agenda tonight, that this is a discussion about Cypress Ridge tonight. So I had some questions that I wanted to direct to legal counsel and to the city council that need to be resolved. Uh, As I did some research on, and I'm certainly not an expert on conservation easements, It is an agreement between the landowner and another party. And so since the city is the landowner and Mary Wagner just said, Hey. the city cannot grant a conservation easement to itself under the doctrine of merger. which is a legal doctrine. I think that we need to have some more thorough legal analysis on what the council can and cannot do. And, under what circumstances can they take certain action. I also think the analysis of the ability of the council to take action in light of the ballot initiative. what can you do once the voters have spoken? And I think that needs to be spelled out very, very clearly for not only the public, but for the council as well. So thank you. |
| 01:22:35.04 | Unknown | I HAVE FOR RIGHT NOW. Thank you, Sandra. Serge, I don't see any other hands up. Anybody else wish to speak? |
| 01:22:42.92 | Serge Avila | Madam Mayor, you are correct. There are no further hangs rates. |
| 01:22:46.33 | Unknown | Okay, we'll go ahead and close public comment then and bring it back up. So tonight we received a presentation on the CyberSearch Open Space Parcels and we are providing direction to staff Uh, as to any. which if any next steps. I'm just wanting to state since you all know, I pushed to have this on the agenda. I want to explain that the reason that I did so is because I do think this is a policy decision, that we as a council need to make, and that shouldn't be punted to non-elected officials to make a decision about what we prioritize in our community. Two other council members did work with me on the general plan and the general plan update. We say that we want to sell CEDO to be a climate leader. And I think that's an important policy that we have an obligation to try to So my interest in bringing this forward tonight was to have that discussion amongst fellow council members so that we can decide and make the hard decisions up here on the dais and not preserve that for unelected. So that's just my perspective as to why I wanted this appear on the council tonight. So Councilman McLean Reynolds, why don't you start off. |
| 01:23:55.45 | Unknown | Thank you, Mayor. I just, I think we need to sort of correct how this got here. So I was not suggesting when we voted last week, that the HIAQ should create policy about this particular parcel. I was just suggesting that that we let the housing element process, which is in process play out. I think as the staff report has been, has made clear, Cypress Ridge is zoned open space. It is not on housing opportunity site. The city never proposed that it be put on the housing opportunity site. No one on the HIAC ever proposed that it would go on the housing opportunity site. As we found, you know, as has been said tonight, and as we knew from the last housing element, it was purchased with bond funds. devoted to open space, and it's been open space since then. Given these facts, I just don't see a threat to Cypress Ridge. It is not likely. in danger of being put to any other use. And it will continue to be a haven for wildlife and people who enjoy it. The issue is we are in the middle of our housing element and we should just let that come out. The reason that this got here is that there So the last time we discussed Cypress Ridge in the city was the last housing element. And again, there was a lot public commotion and fear that it would be put on the housing site. And it wasn't. And it's not now. And I don't think we should react. to that. I think we should Let our just continue with our process. and Look at this. after we're done with our housing element. I mean, nothing is going to change with it in reality, in practice. And I do think that now given the tenor of the public comment, the placement by the public of this issue within the housing element framework we are in kind of danger of We take additional action right now that could be looked at incredibly unkindly by HCD when it reviews our housing element. So, I mean, there's no, I don't have, there's no conspiracy here. uh, you know, there's nothing. So, I mean, I appreciate the staff report. I appreciate all the public comment. I appreciate the passion for open space. I would love to see an equal passion by everyone who spoke tonight on solutions. to address our housing needs. And I hope we can have that discussion and keep having that discussion. And I would love to put this on the agenda. As soon as we are done with that process. |
| 01:26:57.34 | Unknown | Thank you, Councillor McLean. Who wanted to go next? |
| 01:27:03.20 | Unknown | well why don't we go to the vice mayor and then |
| 01:27:05.04 | Unknown | Council member Hoffman and then council member Sobieski. I had some, I had questions. Again, I just want to clarify, can staff speak to what our options are at this point? Because it seems, Jim, We will hear this again, regardless of action taken. I just wanna understand, I know we were supposed to give direction to staff, but what are the options that you're looking for? from us. |
| 01:27:27.75 | Unknown | Well, I'm not exactly sure. I wish I had better understanding myself. I think that as, Council members, Cleveland Knowles articulated, it's not on the sites list at this point. I don't think there's any intention to put it on the sites list. I think JUST, It looks like you could decide or not decide to move forward either now or in the future with the conservation easement. I think having this discussion tonight You got good feedback from the public. You did get a a disposition update from us and it's in your hands now how you would like to move forward. And maybe Mary can add something to this. All righty. |
| 01:28:18.34 | Mary Wagner | Madam Mayor, nothing to add from my perspective. I think your community development director framed it CORRECTLY. I'm happy to answer any questions you may have for me. |
| 01:28:27.91 | Unknown | Thank you. |
| 01:28:30.69 | Unknown | Okay, great. Thank you for that clarification. I definitely appreciate it. And I really appreciate all of the public comment and our community's commitment to preserving open space and to sustainability and to putting Climate First, which was definitely a commitment that was made within the general plan. I was on the sustainability commission at the time and pushed very hard for the inclusion of a sustainability. because it's a critical piece of deciding our future. I also really appreciated how well researched the public comment was in particular Sandra Bushmaker's comments about the legal status of of a consecration easement and what it might or might not require. I definitely think this is something that we should absolutely look at and we should be considering and I just don't think we have the information at this point right now to know legally that it would protect it in perpetuity. It doesn't seem like that has necessarily been established based on the discussion. So I would like to, understand that while it while knowing that it's staying on the open space list right now. And I don't know what a timeline for that. but I just feel like there there isn't enough information about whether or not placing a conservation easement on it or not would allow the protections that it seems like our residents really want. And I don't think that it would interfere with the timeline of the playing out of the housing element or not to figure out all of those things all the legal options available. I personally would like to have more and, information before we, know what the best course of action going forward is. So I'm hopeful. I think that council members, so we asked you about a lot of really good points about that, that we don't know for sure that would protect it in perpetuity. What does it look like? What does that mean? So I'm hoping and I appreciate all the public comment that was brought up. And this is not we're not hearing the conservation easement itself at this point, which is not to say that we shouldn't hear it at some point, or it wouldn't be something that we would want. be in favor of at some point, but at this point, It doesn't seem clear. whether it would protect it in perpetuity or not. And it is on the open space list. and it is not being considered for housing. And there is the fact that we are at risk of um, basically jeopardizing our housing element, knowing that we have 724 sites ahead of us that we need to identify. and it will be a very difficult conversation and there will be know a need to do things like consider higher density on bridgeway consider scattered sites consider locations where none of us want to have housing i i don't One is seeing housing in open space that we hopefully can all enjoy. So I just wanna understand further legal arguments here and determine whether or not it would protect it in perpetuity. um and and no more because it seems like at this point that's not necessarily clear so we would be taking action and potentially jeopardizing our and within the housing element by going forward without knowing that. |
| 01:31:31.61 | Unknown | Thank you. |
| 01:31:31.63 | Carolyn Revell | All right, council member Hoffman. Thanks. So, Um, I think at this point it seems like we're all in agreement that direction to that this site should not be added as an opportunity site now or anytime during this cycle. So I think that's what I've heard from. council members tonight. So that's, you know, I think that's good direction. I think I agree that with some of the public comments and with Vice Mayor Blaustein's comments, and I think other comments as well, I think some of Ian's comments, um, or sorry, Councilmember Sobieski's comments, um, you know, regarding what the legalities are. I think that we do need that from staff to figure out you know what is the mechanism if we want to make sure that in keeping with the measure e-vote that this land was purchased for open space open space by vote of the people of Sausalito what it would take to change that. So I think that would be that's a good sort of just legal memo for us to have and anybody in the future and it might be considering that our questions might come up about open space you know especially this parcel that was purchased specifically at the direction of a measure so I think we need to know that. And then the next question is, do we want to, is the mechanism a conservation easement or some other sort of mechanism similar to what we did on Butte Street. So do we need to transfer that to a trust or something? I would request that that come back as a future agenda item sometime in the next, you know, sooner rather later in the next six months so that we can kind of close that loop and understand that going forward so that so that somebody doesn't have to take half a day or a day to go back through old staff reports. try to figure out the history of what happened on this so i think that's what I would see as the three things that I would recommend that we we think about tonight. So I'm sorry, council member Hoffman, I only got two of those so, direction of the act. direction to that housing element advisory committee don't add the site to the opportunity size for the cycle. The second one was what's the legal basis for changing the designation or use of this given that it was purchased pursuant to a ballot measure. and use, you know, funds, |
| 01:33:54.07 | Joan Cox | and |
| 01:33:57.56 | Carolyn Revell | funds by the people of Saus Leo to purchase the land and then third one is what is the mechanism so should we want to preserve this in some other method that's a little bit stronger than just designating open space what would that be is that a conservation easement or some other mechanism and what, What would we consider then how to do that? |
| 01:34:16.48 | Unknown | Yeah. Thank you, it's very clear. Thanks for being here. |
| 01:34:21.39 | Unknown | I just had a question that came up during the comments and discussion to Mary Thank you. where the mechanisms for property transfer and the creation of of the legal mechanism that would in perpetuity set this property aside. Did that law exist? Did that corpus of law exist in 1976? In other words, could you have deeded the property to a trust um it had another party as sandra bushmaker identified with which you could have had a conservation precluded the city council and even the voters of Saucinado in perpetuity from ever doing anything with the land that it acquired in 1976. |
| 01:35:07.78 | Mary Wagner | So if I understand your question correctly, Council Member Sobieski. You're asking, did the legal mechanism exist at the time of the on the ballot measure related to the bonds that acquired the space? Did the legal mechanism exist that was utilized, for example, with the Butte Street property? to put it into a conservation easement. Is that accurate? |
| 01:35:28.70 | Unknown | Is that accurate? One that's actually unassailable in terms of not being able to be changed by future city council. |
| 01:35:39.08 | Mary Wagner | I would have to look into that for you, Council Member Sobieski. I know that answer off the top of my head. |
| 01:35:46.00 | Unknown | Thanks. Sure. Well, there's no one who likes it. I'm an Eagle Scout and spent most of my time outdoors growing up. Um, and, uh, so i love open space i love the quiet i love the birds and the animals and i love the balance um i love the i love urban wildlife interfaces and i love parks And I love... Thank you. good interactions between the two and um The city is not just pavement and it's not just people. It's so many different things. I'm a big fan. I still was confused as to what we're exactly debating because of the people are asking for a conservation easement it wasn't clear whether we have the authority to issue such an easement all by ourselves, it sounds like. proponents for the conservation easement are actually asking for. a mechanism that actually does more than those that in 1976, that there's a flaw in what was done. in that there is a perceived weakness. that the city owned property, even though it was acquired for this purpose, could be used for some other purpose in the future. And the desire is to come up with a mechanism that would preclude the city council or any future population of Sausalito. from doing anything with that property other than the open space. Um, I'm a lover of open space, but that seems like an aggressive I'm probably in the minority here, I don't know what the people of Saucelida themselves might want to do with this property in 50 years. I know for sure I don't want to do anything with it now. And I think the vast majority of Sausalitans don't want to do anything with it now, other than keep it the way it is for the animals, for the air, for ourselves. that we're going to be but to give the property away. essentially, and deprive our descendants, our children, from having the choice of what to do with it. um, That seems like that I'm wondering what the motivation is about whether we don't trust our children to choose well. maybe worried about developers somehow sneaking in and taking something that they would value. And I'm all and I think we protect a lot of things here in town. The Fair Traffic Initiative, Ordinance 1128, all have super mechanisms. that prevent just three city council members from doing something rogue with a with a civic treasurer but it seems like the property's been preserved for 50 years through many housing elements through the vigilance of people who care I understand that it has sometimes been in previous housing elements, maybe people who voiced consideration of whether it could be done with something. people stepped up to say that no we don't want to do anything with it and so I wonder if we don't already have the correct balance of... of reconsideration and rejection that preserves this. So, I heard in many of the public comments a perception that there was an actual initiative underway. to take this away and there was anger. I'm That's not my perception of what is going on. And I wouldn't vote for changing, building in Cypress Ridge without the affirmation of the people themselves, given that the symmetry of the acquisition of the property was for the civic good. But I don't know that we want to give up that right in perpetuity as a town, even by vote of people. Um, So I'm open to having my mind changed on this. This is our first discussion of it. I've interacted with just some of the many people who care on this issue. there can be a discussion among us about how we actually wanna structure this piece of property and all the city property. And while we're having that discussion, I would say, um, You know, I was skeptical about the housing element structure precisely because it would potentially engender a discussion where each um, even idea of where to build housing inside the town brought forth about about the worst case possible scenario. And, We do have a challenge in South Slater, not only of building or designating 724 units in this cycle. but it's not gonna be the last time that there's gonna be an imposition It's cool. or in a position depending on your point of view. of adding more housing to our town and I think we're going about it in a less than optimal way. We want to have an integrated community. a well-designed community, a community where everything works well together, the parks, the parking, the circulation, the density and want to preserve the working waterfront We want to preserve that. preserve our small town character. We want to do, we want to preserve our open space. uh, and preserve. what we consider essential to Sausalito and that's the fundamentally a design challenge and approaching that design challenge with little grayscale mass blocks on a drawing that represent housing doesn't inspire anybody I still will reiterate what I said when I voted against the $800,000 for the housing consultant. that what we need to do is an integrated design A couple of them. with different ideas on how not just to tackle this arena number cycle, but future arena number cycle expectations so that we can put something to the people, not just three city council members to vote on what they imagine Socelito could actually plausibly look like. the near term with near-term demands and longer term plans and this is all accounting by the way for comments from Bob Silvestri and others that might show that our current renewed numbers are not as onerous as we think because of SB9 and SB35 but that's all part of the process and I do think that we should augment our housing element approach with a design approach and one that's specific and answers people's fears with specific design proposals for but can be built. Thank you. not a piecemeal approach. So... Those are my current current. |
| 01:42:24.74 | Unknown | Thank you, council member. Okay, well, thank you. Very thoughtful, insightful comments. I think I'm on board with the vice mayor and council member Hoffman offered as a framework for conversation here, which is there's a policy question and a legal mechanism question. So I thought I heard Mr. Hunting, Nan Hunting say, that he had reached out to hcd to inquire whether an area designated as open space would be eligible to be included on the potential housing sites list and was told Now. So I think that's an interesting comment. I'd like to see that in writing. because I think that helps us with any fear we may have of retribution or, I mean, we've handled it. in one way or the other. I think the other comment that got a little bit confusing here was about, conservation easements, This is not legal advice, but I did practice land use law for a little bit and It is in perpetuity and it can be amended. And it's normally held by a trust that meets certain criteria and it's not held by the trust that meets the criteria, then it could be redirected to be rezoned for housing, which is why this conversation is so relevant to us right now. And so the organization that holds the easement for Butte meets the criteria that would exempt it, exempt the property from rezoning. So I think tonight we have, I think two options here or two work streams. The first is, to make a policy statement. And I think I hear unanimous, no pardon me, not unanimous, I think a majority policy statement that we do wanna keep this as open space. And so we want to declare that to the community and to the housing process, that this is an important area of open space. I think the second piece is what legal mechanism ensures that and for how long. I think that's what we need to hear back from legal counsel on. So that's what I've heard. If anybody thinks I've mischaracterized that, I welcome your correction, but I think we have a majority that feels that this should maintain as open space and the majority that would like to hear more from legal counsel about the legal mechanism and the legal basis based on the ballot measure. Anybody have any follow-up comments on that? |
| 01:44:41.53 | Unknown | I think the only follow-up comment is I mean this is zoned open space the city bought it for open space we have our policy intent and all of our documents but it's open space so I don't think we need to reaffirm that I mean it's And A, it's not on our agenda tonight in any case, but I mean, we've got a very clear um, And it's not on any list for any potential housing element. And I tried to articulate that in questions to our community development director um, don't think. that there's any. Action. Thank you. |
| 01:45:22.65 | Unknown | We can choose good action, right? We can choose to |
| 01:45:22.74 | Unknown | Well, we can choose what I want. |
| 01:45:25.84 | Unknown | um have the council or pardon me the staff come back Um, with a statement that we that this council would like to preserve us as open space and that's a statement that we get to make um because we're sitting up here and we get to you know respond to the community members but if we don't all sign on we don't all sign on but i did hear a majority i think say that And then as to what legal mechanism we utilize for that, Um, it probably is a conservation easement, but it sounds like there's some outstanding questions asked what type of trust with whole bodies meant. So if you feel like there isn't a majority towards that, Please, by all means, I don't want to put words in anybody's mouth. |
| 01:46:13.26 | Unknown | Okay. |
| 01:46:13.45 | Unknown | you I think this is a useful conversation. There isn't really any direction to stop other than, I think there's been a request for a future agenda item to be brought back on both, whether we want to issue a policy statement and on the legal mechanism. that we're going to be Anybody have any comments on that as a future agenda item? Thank you. |
| 01:46:35.03 | Unknown | Sobieski, you know, |
| 01:46:35.76 | Unknown | Thank you. |
| 01:46:35.77 | Unknown | Okay. |
| 01:46:35.84 | Unknown | I'm sorry. |
| 01:46:36.03 | Unknown | I'm going to go. Curious. Well, thanks. just feel like I'm not sure exactly. you know, when they try to, It's a beautiful topic to imagine that our open space is under. And I want to make it clear that I'll just say again, I wouldn't vote to build anything in that space without a vote So it was required by a vote of people. So the question is, why are we bringing this topic up? It has for almost 50 years not been developed. and given the number of agenda items that we have to do with that require our staff's attention is this Why is this a priority? Is it because we perceive that the housing element somehow is at the end of the day going to recommend building here? I'm If so, if that's the thing, then what about the working waterfront? take things off the table. to increase pressure on other areas and other priorities that we care about are we going to do those things sequentially. um, and is the last topic we bring up last place we preserve the one that's going to end up with the short end of the stick because we're attending this first, the emergency chip not. Is the membership in more jeopardy? I'm a little confused because I thought we had a housing process. that we're going to have And I was, And I know a lot of people are on it. and it, does feel like we are responding to the pressures, the fear around what that housing process might turn out. by getting involved in it at the city council level That's fine. I actually advocate that, I think. We should have a different approach to housing element, one where we have an integrated design across the whole town. But that's not what we're talking about here either. We're talking about just one area. So I kind of feel like we should do one or the other. We should either have process be defined and that we're paying $800,000 for to answer the questions about where housing is going to be in town. or we should take this up to the city council level, try to get some more money back, and spend some of that money on really good designers to come up with specific designs and then put that to a vote of the people and not have it be a city council decision to see how the city can build the units it needs to build. in a way that preserves our small town character, our working waterfront and our open space. So I'm concerned that this exercise is is fundamentally potentially divisive and aggravating rather than unifying and calming. |
| 01:49:15.94 | Unknown | I think that's probable right. That's probably a very accurate statement. So I think that's why we're discussing it. I think the community wants to know, how will we handle open space? We signed a climate emergency resolution in a last council meeting. What does that mean to us? And I think that was part of this. So there's no conservation easement in front of us. We can take a poll to see if folks want to direct staff to research and bring a conservation easement in front of us, that's one way to do it. You know, this is certainly not the opportunity, we'll have it to discuss the entire housing process but I think this is probably more than just that. I think this is about, the city's philosophy and values around open space. And I think that's okay to just think about open space in terms of the value to the community in and of itself. And that's my approach. So there's much bigger, as you said, potentially difficult question and process and discussion and I respect that. |
| 01:50:19.67 | Unknown | I mean, can we put the charge then to also see legal mechanisms to take other portions of the city off the table permanently I mean, we have the power for zoning and I'm It seems symmetric to considered the same protections for the Miranda chip other areas of town that we never want to see. How? developed in any way. |
| 01:50:46.82 | Carolyn Revell | What's on that? Yeah, I think that's going to be implied, right? in any kind of conversation about how what the mechanism would be for conservation easement or you know, as Ian says, other areas that we feel are also Amen. need protection. I think that wouldn't be that great of a leap for that type of a conversation. if when this comes back to the city council. I have no problem expanding. you know, kind of the thought process. the research of that memo. to include that as well. |
| 01:51:26.51 | Unknown | Okay, so how about in the interest of moving the conversation along, we do have some additional questions. how about we direct staff to, um, connect this additional research because it will come up in some fashion as we discuss our climate priorities and discuss our housing element, depending on your approach to the issue. There are some not saying legal questions around what mechanism might preserve something in open space. And also some questions around the ballot measure. So do we have consensus that staff spending some time on that would help resolve some future issues? I see one thumbs up. Guess Councilman, what are you doing now? Thank you. |
| 01:52:07.62 | Unknown | I would just note that I don't have any issue with that, but as I said in my earlier comments, I don't see this as an urgent priority given the number of other legal and technical things that we're dealing with right now. you know, again, site is not on our housing element inventory. It's down to open space. So yes, I would love to take this up. Absolutely. I would let staff figure out the right and appropriate timing for that. Okay, how about all this? I think that, hopefully the community has heard this loud and clear. This isn't on the site. |
| 01:52:41.71 | Unknown | Have a lot of. |
| 01:52:42.89 | Unknown | Thank you. |
| 01:52:46.92 | Unknown | You know, all the flyers that were going around saying this site is going to be high density housing and the housing element of fear, all of that, that's not happening. I think everyone has heard that. So I think we can direct staff, as you said, but without It's a brave urgency. but we will get to it obviously. Anyway, I wouldn't. make it. |
| 01:53:12.61 | Unknown | Okay, with permission from the council, the vice mayor and I will work with our new community development director to move as quickly as we can within his department to identify whether there is additional legal research that we need and what resources those might be. And we'll report back to the council on the timing, okay? |
| 01:53:12.69 | Unknown | Yeah. |
| 01:53:30.73 | Unknown | Sounds great. Does that work? Okay, thank you everybody. Appreciate the dialogue. I think this was a good conversation and hopefully the community what they need to know that in terms of hearing from council members in their interest in protecting this area Okay. Thank you, everybody. All right, moving on then to our next agenda item. That is item 5B. uh receive city council import for potential grand priorities from our city manager chris abatto |
| 01:54:00.06 | Chris Zapata | Thank you, Mayor. public. I want to start by saying it goes without saying that Thank you. cities should augment existing resources with other people's money. that's foundations, whether it's from state, federal, county, or other sources. And as you know, the city of South Florida has many needs. many opportunities. And we also have heard that there's a great deal of money that may be available for certain specific things that along with some of those needs. On October 30th, the city council heard a... E gap analysis of our infrastructure which was significant. but more importantly, you direct the staff to go out solicit some grant-winding resources. And so with the help of much more consulting We've done that. We carry three resources. One of them is a full service turnkey. Where did Grant? the founder grant, administering grants for California consulting, and then two individual hourly grant writers, Angela Mueller and Karen Reynolds. And so in order to make the best use of that resource, You know, we've asked for departments to put together some of the things they believe that letter could pursue. because we don't want a scattered approach. We're storming resources, chasing everything. We need to focus on what's really a priority for the community. And in that same ask, we are asking the city council to provide some direction on what they believe priorities. I mean, we'll meld those together And then we'll provide that direction to are providing resources and go out and find some funds for Sausalito. Any questions? |
| 01:55:51.11 | Unknown | First and foremost. Yeah. |
| 01:55:56.14 | Carolyn Revell | Go ahead, Councillor Hoffman. DO YOU, UM, Chris, do you have like certain buckets that you're looking at right now? Or do you have certain high opportunity? Um, what you feel like are high opportunity sites or, Um, Can you give us any thoughts on |
| 01:56:13.19 | Chris Zapata | In the staff report, which I don't have in front of me, Some of them may have them, but we listed things like housing. Congress nurse. streets, transportation, disaster preparedness, mobility, parks, planning, public safety, water related resources to start. And so I think the real key for us is You know, we put our minds together with yours And we try not to miss anything that matters. Because sometimes we think we know that We want to go chase, but there may be something that the city council member or staff member may bring forward that we haven't thought of. And I'll give you an example. when that list was put together. I got the input to historic preservation. You know, that's something that we need to think about. And then I got the input from the police department We would have both patrol our waters. And so all these things, And I think the list that we provided in the staff report is probably a comprehensive, but it's not, specific to what the council may believe we need to be seeing or looking for so so your thoughts on areas that you believe whether it's you know, sea level wise and climate change. emergency preparedness, other things. give us some sense of how we can point resources too. Tomorrow at our management team meeting, we have California consultant coming in and what they'll do is they'll ask us, We'll chase the money for you. We will look for the money for you. But what are your priorities? And so we want to be able to give them a sense of that. |
| 01:57:55.94 | Unknown | Okay. Thank you, Chris. Any other questions before we take public comment on this? Okay, why am I organizing public |
| 01:58:03.02 | Unknown | Oh, yeah. |
| 01:58:04.63 | Unknown | Thank you. |
| 01:58:04.65 | Unknown | I'm just wondering, does it make sense for us to, not, I mean, after public comment, but just as a manner of process, So we just all list our our areas of interest and then do a vote like we would on like search or can keep a tally? Is that gonna be the best way forward? Or are we just kind of generally saying that we're each interested in |
| 01:58:28.79 | Unknown | Thank you. |
| 01:58:28.81 | Unknown | Chris, in a follow-up to that, I was hoping that since you had solicited our feedback on the 31st of January, that maybe you had that. information already and you you listed out in the stock report, but there's no priority. on that. information for us as to what overlapped based on the feedback we gave you. |
| 01:58:48.06 | Chris Zapata | I apologize. I'm at a disadvantage here in this setting, The response I got came from A COUPLE OF YOU, BUT Good. The idea was is to make sure that this was a public discussion regarding credit orders and that's why we put it on the agenda. I made that request back then and hope that the council will start thinking about what some of the areas of and a couple of you responded to me in writing and verbally. |
| 01:59:16.90 | Unknown | Okay. |
| 01:59:17.17 | Unknown | Thank you. Thank you. |
| 01:59:18.91 | Chris Zapata | All right, so let's see. Those are included in the staff. |
| 01:59:18.96 | Unknown | I'm sorry. |
| 01:59:19.03 | Unknown | Bye. |
| 01:59:19.10 | Unknown | SO I'M GOING TO SAY |
| 01:59:19.81 | Unknown | Thank you. |
| 01:59:22.30 | Unknown | Thank you. |
| 01:59:22.34 | Unknown | Thank you. |
| 01:59:22.35 | Unknown | Sure. OK. |
| 01:59:23.74 | Unknown | Thank you. |
| 01:59:23.76 | Unknown | Thank you. |
| 01:59:23.89 | Unknown | Thank you. Yeah, just kind of procedurally in response to the vice mayor. I'd sort of prefer just to have a general discussion and then perhaps maybe Chris can come back with. A combination of staff's priorities and our priorities melded. And then if we have, we see something missing, we could something important you know we could we could call that out another time but I you know I didn't I have a more kind of approach comments when we get to that point I don't I mean I think we probably all could list 20 things that we think are important but Anyway. It's up to you guys. I can come up with my priorities as well, but Thank you. |
| 02:00:06.16 | Unknown | you |
| 02:00:06.21 | Unknown | you . |
| 02:00:07.82 | Unknown | Okay, yeah, let's plan to, after taking some public comment, plan to have everybody just give a few minutes of their priority list. Probably not in a position to do a ranking system, although I do like that idea vice mayor, but it would be helpful, I think, Chris, if you could come back to us in alignment with what our capital improvement program might have, what is already at the top of the list for you in staff, doesn't really make sense for us to identify item number 100 if you have 10 things going already that we can help support so that feedback would also be helpful Okay, so let's go ahead and take public comment. And this is on grant priorities, item 5B. So Serge, will you please? let folks know who was ready to speak. |
| 02:00:55.56 | Serge Avila | Madam Mayor, we do have Evalon Eva, you've been unmuted and must share your video. |
| 02:01:08.75 | Eva Cresante | Thank you. Can you hear me? Yes. Yeah, it seems like a lot of this is based on a need for funding and it seems like it's a good thing to look for what grants you can get. also be useful to review how you've spent your money recently um there have been some exorbitant I'm sorry. expenses and they seem to be backfiring pretty badly. It seems to me that because the problem with the encampment really stems from initially an overzealous THE CITY IS GOING TO BE actions by by Curtis Hava at RBRA, it certainly seems like a very strong possibility that the city of Sausalito could file suit against the RVRA and against Curtis Havel, for the tragedy that he dumped on your shore. That encampment problem you have, is a result of his improper seizure and destruction of so many poor people's boat homes. And so that seems like a good thing to look at. I would also look at the contract, the $480,000 contract with Urban Alchemy. This is a organization really troubled, very corrupt. and comes out of a fairly corrupt department within San Francisco city government. There's already a lot of litigation against them. It seems to me that you could get out of that contract um certainly based on the conduct of some of their employees recently which was quite violent toward being camp toward the campers um And in that way, you could recruit some of that money so you wouldn't be in such a pinch with grant writing. In general, it seems like you could spend the money in much more productive ways. The policing by Urban Alchemy is a major... |
| 02:03:10.34 | Unknown | Thank you. |
| 02:03:10.35 | Serge Avila | I need to. Thank you. |
| 02:03:11.16 | Unknown | Thank you. |
| 02:03:11.21 | Serge Avila | I'm sorry. |
| 02:03:12.07 | Eva Cresante | Thank you. |
| 02:03:12.18 | Unknown | Thank you very much for your comments, Ms. Cresante. |
| 02:03:15.50 | Serge Avila | Our next speaker is Jacob. Jacob, you've been unmuted. and ask to share your video. |
| 02:03:26.47 | Unknown | Hello, thank you again. to allow the public to speak even though you You have taken me public comment that used to be at the beginning of the meeting and put it in. The end. At the beginning of that, that's a school. There's a lot of people but Ava No. come through. Every time that I love interior that these are the least convicts that have come out of our horrible, hellish prison system, set the captives free and soon. And this is happening with the houseless and with the anchor outs. . Brain as me. much as we can with But there was a beat down of a man who an anchor out. who merely asked another anchor out, which kind of was taken. And the policy as given by the Sausalito Police Department was, person can have a goat and a chance. |
| 02:04:34.24 | Unknown | The corruption. the amount of Hundreds of thousands of dollars given to consultants needs to stop. A good way to stop. it is to follow. . connections, it's for your salary. and the amount of money that you have, and your stocks, and your bonds, city council members, and mayor, and city manager, and me, that we know where your money comes from and how it is connected with all of these hundreds of thousands and millions of dollars of contracts that are oppressing my people, the poor people, the anchor outs, the houseless people, the very small percentage of people that are not taken care of, that are part of now a homeless industrial complex, It's good. Again, you have 10 minutes, have a lap. To discredit the House's people even more. that Chris Zapata already has Thank you. |
| 02:05:37.05 | Unknown | Thank you. |
| 02:05:37.18 | Unknown | Thank you. |
| 02:05:37.44 | Unknown | Thank you. |
| 02:05:39.02 | Unknown | All right. |
| 02:05:39.14 | Unknown | Okay. |
| 02:05:39.16 | Unknown | Okay. |
| 02:05:39.97 | Unknown | Thank you. |
| 02:05:40.02 | Unknown | Thank you. |
| 02:05:40.03 | Unknown | Thank you. |
| 02:05:41.64 | Unknown | So I just want to remind the speakers that this is item 5B, grant priorities. So please limit your comments to that topic if you can. |
| 02:05:51.73 | Serge Avila | Our next speaker is Peter Romanowski. Peter, you've been unmuted. I ask you share your video. |
| 02:06:07.15 | Unknown | You're on mute, sir. |
| 02:06:13.11 | Peter Romanowski | UNMIL. |
| 02:06:14.29 | Unknown | There you go. |
| 02:06:16.08 | Peter Romanowski | All right. Um, Oh. I want to introduce myself first on this grant project. I am the... the chaplain of San Francisco Bay, not just Sausalito, but of the whole bay because, well, I'm the only chaplain that lives on the whole bay of San Francisco. And we need a grant too. I'm the CEO of the New Covenant Evangelistic Association. I'm laying in bed now, cause I just got over COVEX and, I'm still tired. I just spent a lot of time in bed on my boat, you know. I'm 72 years old, you know. When I first set foot in this town, and it's 64 and I'm getting to my point. |
| 02:07:03.01 | Peter Romanowski | Thank you. |
| 02:07:03.02 | Unknown | Senator Gisette on our end? |
| 02:07:04.26 | Peter Romanowski | Thank you. |
| 02:07:06.27 | Serge Avila | Madam Mayor it appears as we have full commission and it's probably at Peter Romanowski's If you'd like me to stop now, |
| 02:07:16.86 | Peter Romanowski | Maybe. What's happening? We can hear you. Okay, so on the grant thing, Obviously, like, we've got to stop paying people, consultants, all this crazy money to live in crazy big houses that are destroying the earth through climate change. Whatever. You got all these buildings and mansions around here. And there's talk about using that open space for more housing. What, we need more mansions around here? I mean, you know, I'm a minimalist. You know, I'm solar-powered. You know, I'm not connected to anything. PG&E, nothing. You know, solar power and a little propane. And us anchor- outs, we have no carbon footprint. We use our crankcase oil to mix with our gas to get back and forth. But I'm going on the grants. As the head of the new covenant evangelist, It'll be two minutes, have a laugh. |
| 02:08:14.98 | Serge Avila | Thank you. Mr. Our next speaker is Vicki Nichols. Vicki, you've been unmuted and has to share your video. |
| 02:08:27.81 | Vicki Nichols | Hi there we are thank you very much I think I just heard music to my ears as the chair of your historical preservation commission when I heard our city manager Chris Zapata say something about historical preservation so I'm going to put our licks in here we would love to explore grants in that area and I will make a commitment that our committee will help you do research as a certified local government. We know we're entitled to apply for a number of grants that other cities in California are not eligible for. So thank you and we encourage you to pursue that. Let us know if we can help you. Thank you. Thank you, Vicky. |
| 02:09:13.52 | Serge Avila | Our next speaker is Sebo Boutillier. See you. So, you've been unmuted and asked to share your video. |
| 02:09:20.10 | Sybil Boutillier | Um, let's see. . All right, good evening, mayor and council members. I want to applaud our city manager for the city starting this process to bring in professional grant writers to help supplement the city's funding needs. And also to point out that Many of us in the community associated with different organizations have for many years been helping the city by writing small grants to supplement programs, services and projects and do continue to do so. I used to do grant writing on the large scale when I worked for the city of San Francisco and I know how important it is to have folks that know really how to go about that process. And I think, um, it's very forward looking to look at making this small investment to bring in what could be large resources for the city especially at a time when there's a lot of funding coming down the pike both federally and from the state um over this next couple of years and um i hope that south salido can benefit greatly from it and i i want to thank you for taking this initiative forward Thank you so much. |
| 02:10:55.23 | Serge Avila | Our next speaker is Alice Merrill. Alice, you've been one muted, and I ask you to share your video. |
| 02:11:03.41 | Unknown | you |
| 02:11:10.68 | Unknown | Hi, I'll say that you are need to unmute. Thank you. |
| 02:11:14.60 | Alice Merrill | Thank you. I know this is barking up a very strange tree, but when, when, Talking about what's going on with The people, the Anchorats, On the bay down in our little part of the bay. People have been on our part of the bay for really, really long time. and I keep thinking that it's the BCDC and it was pointed out to me that it's actually the state who has a 72-hour timeline on automobiles parked on the street And it's the same 72 hour for boats anchored in a little tiny harbor like ours. And how can we Little tiny fish in a pond. possibly get to the state and say, you know, you guys, These are people we're talking about, and this is a different situation. I just... It makes me so sad to think that that the people who live on the Bay are being kicked off after all these years, so many, many, many, many years. because of rich people who are living out, you know, it just... It just drives me nuts. I don't suppose there's a thing you can do about it, but I'm gonna call my representative and see if there's, nobody will listen, but you know, FRUSTRATING. Thank you. |
| 02:12:44.57 | Unknown | Thank you. I'll remind everybody, item 5B, focus on grant writing and grant priorities. |
| 02:12:57.28 | Serge Avila | Our next speaker is Joan Cox. Joan, you've been unmuted. I ask to share your video. |
| 02:13:02.63 | Joan Cox | Thank you. Good evening council. I want to echo Sybil Battalier's praise for the city manager for the city for, um, focusing on grant seeking which is a great way to ensure our financial viability I think a great roadmap for what grants to seek is your strategic plan, because that's where you've outlined your priorities. But I would suggest another organizing principle be those areas where you are most financially vulnerable. And of course, the top one for that is homelessness. And, you know, right now there are 50 people who qualify for permanent housing, but there's no permanent housing available. So maybe there's transitional housing, and maybe there are grants available to assist with that vulnerability. That's eating up so much of society, those budget right now. Another area of priority I think should be housing. You know, even once we identify 720, sorry, sites for 720 units, we still have to get them built. And developers have a very hard time making the math work out for affordable housing. And so finding some grants to fund affordable housing go a long way towards closing that gap. |
| 02:14:23.80 | Unknown | Thank you. |
| 02:14:24.12 | Joan Cox | and then i really endorse most of the other areas mentioned in the staff report but one thing not mentioned but that is already underway is pension uh, planning. So, um, figuring out how to reduce your pension debt, refinance it. Uh, that's already underway, but I think that's another priority. Anyway, uh, great job, go to see, uh, this on the agenda and what a great project to have in front of you. Thanks. Thank you, John. |
| 02:14:55.81 | Serge Avila | and the Our next speaker is phone number 415-532-4675. And you've been unmuted and asked to share your video. |
| 02:15:13.56 | Unknown | Hello, can you hear me? Yes. Well, I have to congratulate you guys in order to get grants. You seem to be... very well focused on that. That's a wonderful thing. You get all the grants, and I hope that you get them as quickly as you spend the money on the lawyers. and the news that's from Columbus. |
| 02:15:35.08 | Unknown | Thank you. |
| 02:15:35.38 | Unknown | that is are something that will carry you through history. I agree. The home was in Coughlin in South Lidl. It is becoming a bigger problem because centring them into an area that looks more like a prison and, housing for that live in the streets. Second before. You pooped. and I think that's a good question. incredible record. I'd like to begin. looking after the homeless. The homeless are being beat up. of these people. I wish that you would speak Urban alchemy is not fitted for it. We're not trying to get and then in these conditions. Bye now. I think you're failing again what the real issue that has to be addressed, have some empathy for humanity. So we lack all of those jobs. in the book. So please move. Okay. when he is to be born. get permanent housing for these people. on what we're doing. It's like in these samples, going to be hit by a whole bunch of lawsuits coming up in the next few days. I wish you all the best on that because you create Well, let's see how we can fix the situation. I wish you all the best. efforts. and you keep failing. to get. Are we... and over. I just wish you the best. |
| 02:17:12.97 | Unknown | Okay, great. Thank you so much. Serge, any other public comment on this? |
| 02:17:17.92 | Serge Avila | Madam Mayor, I see no further hands raised. |
| 02:17:20.35 | Unknown | Okay, well, we'll go ahead and close public comment and put it back up |
| 02:17:24.02 | Unknown | We'll start with the vice mayor. Great, I made some buckets just in preparation for this because I kind of assumed that we would have a table or something but maybe this can guide us later so top one that will come as no surprise is climate change mitigation which for me includes sea level rise and disaster preparedness as key buckets. Another is, and there's a lot of available funding. So I think that one of the reasons that that's top of the list for me is that I, I know that we have a lot of opportunity there where we can find funding and a lot that will qualify. Um, another one is technological innovation. There are a lot of programs for this as well. And, you know, the mayor and I share in a passion for utilizing the innovative hub of San Francisco and tech that's available to us to improve city services. And we've talked about having a city app for instance, and that's something we could absolutely find grant funding for, which would be really interesting. Another bucket for me is around equity programs. We've talked about doing a DEI training for staff and for council. We've talked a lot about how we might do more around education in that space. I don't think it should be lost. I also know there's a lot of funding buckets around that as well. infrastructure, just thinking about basic needs, how we do things like improve and pave our roads or put in more crosswalks. There's buckets of money for that too. And the new recovery act dollars, federal funding that we, perhaps can access in particular. And then another bucket is housing. And when I think about the housing crisis, that includes those experiencing homelessness as well as our growing challenge to meet and find more affordable housing for our community members. So those are the main ones that I've got on my list. Excellent. |
| 02:19:03.98 | Unknown | for that. |
| 02:19:04.95 | Unknown | Thank you. |
| 02:19:04.99 | Unknown | Councilman Criminals, please. |
| 02:19:10.62 | Unknown | Thank you, Mayor. And thank you, Vice Mayor. I thought that was a great great set of buckets and I think reflects the priorities that we talked about as a council. when we were selecting our city manager and our strategic plan. So I think that's great. So I thought about this, in kind of two different ways. One was more procedural and I would like to thank former mayor council member Joan Cox for bringing up our strategic plan And I would just add that I really think we, everything we do approach should be consistent with an already, you know, an existing city priority. So strategic plan, capital improvement plan, or other guiding documents. Second, I think we should look at grants in two phases. Some of the new federal infrastructure for money is coming in long, you know, five-year type increment. We need to look at grants for both planning and for construction slash implementation. So in some areas we already have a plan that needs to be implemented. But in many areas, we need to first develop the plan and then we need to obtain funding for the actual achievement of that. And The next step I think is we need to evaluate everything for something that we can actually achieve. that we have staff to implement staff or consultants or other local organizations that we can actually implement. I think as everyone knows, Grant money usually comes with a requirement that it be spent. within a certain amount of time or you lose that money and organizations that have given those types of grants don't look favorably on institutions that can't effectively achieve the goals that they set out in their grant application. So I think we need to be really happy. I guess I should have started out by saying thank you to our city manager. Really happy we have the grant writing resources, but I do think we need to carefully manage how many things we apply for and how many things we can actually do. Lastly, kind of... going to Melissa's five buckets, I think we also could have some very good themes that are kind of cross-cutting across the bucket. So for example, Sybil spoke tonight, we have a really strong age-friendly program in Sausalito. So there could be different improvements, but with an age friendly theme. or we could collaborate with Marin City, Um, you know, and kind of building partnerships, building, connecting communities theme is one of the, federal infrastructure themes, we could do something along those lines. And then lastly, I liked Joan's comment about vulnerabilities And I think that does also jive nicely. I would love to focus on some of the things that we've started but haven't kind of move the ball forward. So for example, when Mayor Hoffman, I think was mayor or no, I guess it was, was Joe, but, but you were on the committee for the landslide. and that committee did such good work. Um, and, but we still, you know, that's a vulnerability. We've got some really good ideas. The work community work has gone in, but we could advance that fall. So looking for things like that, where we put the. initial hard work in but haven't had the funding to move the balls forward. And then kind of substantively of um, I think it goes on the infrastructure bucket, but the PBAC, Pedestrian, Bike and Advisory Committee has come up with some very good, plans all the way along Bridgeway. And we've gotten some starts, some grant funding coming for the Princess to Richardson segment. There's also, Kevin has started to look at the Johnson to Napa Street segment. And then we had a fantastic presentation last night from Aaron Roller and Karen Culligan about Napa to harbor and bicycle improvements either along Bridgeway or as the original plan had set out through the Marin ship. sort of as two different or possibly Anyway, collaborative approaches. So anyway, they have been really generating some great ideas and I think, that could have a double theme of both adding to our pedestrian and bike environment, and improving our pavement And next. and possibly even doing some other infrastructure work under the street. So those are I would just also like to second the housing. theme. Ciao. Those are my ideas. |
| 02:24:25.02 | Unknown | Thank you. Thank you, Councilman Cleveland. Chris says, I'm hearing this, I'm thinking about my own opportunities. I'm kind of envisioning a matrix that down are the buckets, five or six of them. And then across are some of these themes that Susan just articulated. And I had a few of those by strategic plan, achievable cross cutting vulnerabilities. And then maybe when we see this again potentially at our Saturday meeting we can actually run through them and have prioritize based on how that matrix plays out so that's kind of how I started to track them as folks were sharing Okay, who would like to go next? |
| 02:25:05.49 | Unknown | Thank you. I'll just rip off that comment, Mayor. I would add a third dimension to your to make it I can't see. |
| 02:25:14.97 | Mary Wagner | I have a 3D matrix. I don't know I have vectors and I have models. |
| 02:25:17.54 | Unknown | yes there you go so a bayesian search algorithm when you're looking for like the malaysian airline or whatnot is you look where you think it is, but also where you're most likely to find it. So it doesn't do any good to look in a spot if it's too deep or too dark and you can't find a signal. So similarly, we should be applying for grants. We should direct our energies to where we think we most likely will actually prevail and win monies. And so I would add a third dimension to your graph too. if it can't be in the graph itself. directing our professional grant writers to make a business case for their time and the effort to submit in submitting these grant applications, that we have a plausible or good chance to actually prevail in those applications. So let's start with a little hanging fruit and try to collect the easy money as soon as possible. So I would encourage that kind of organizing principle around our ideas. As much as we have our own wish list, there are, as with sea level rise and a few other issues, fundamental infrastructure, because of the infrastructure bill, perhaps, items that may or may not be at the height of our priority list, but which we could be very favorable in winning those funds and it's free money to our taxpayers and useful money to spend on the priority. If it's on our list at all, it's worth doing. So my own list though, that all being said, I have my list too, which is, um, What I was riffing on earlier today, a master plan for housing, one that's an actual design, a bunch of grayscale boxes, but one that incorporates all the features that you need to make an actual development inside the city work, marking, circulation. um, quality of lifestyle for the residents around the study development as well as inside it. I'm not sure. I think that We could be a jewel of urban planning if we have the resources to actually urban plan. But... Our general plan is certainly not an urban plan and there has actually never been as far as I know a really a sophisticated urban plan that's been designed to try to meet I think ambitions and goals of our town. And if we did achieve to do that, it would be seminal. and the envy of our neighbors and would improve the quality of life for everyone by preserving the things we care about. So to me, that's a very interesting thing to try to apply for, to try to get funding for. And of course, even if we didn't, I think it's something we should do. You, Mayor, and I were on the Undergrounding Task Force. I mean, I've gotten busy since becoming mayor and now it's Councilmember Cleveland Knowles and I, It's gonna be expensive to underground our utilities. As far as aesthetics, it's a safety issue. There's an opportunity with the 4 to 12 KB upgrade from PG&E to actually piggyback on money they're already going to spend replacing poles, replacing wires. If we could get an incremental amount of money, then perhaps you could bury those holes that cover almost the entire northern half of our channel. it would be a dramatic change in the quality of our built environment. The landslide task force, of course, issued many recommendations that we need to implement and we need funding for. We have some money for the Ferry land side improvements from the Duke Bridge District and that should be enough to do bare bones phase one but if we want to have any margin for safety we just want to again take advantage of potential infrastructure money for that kind of infrastructure then we wish to add to that. And speaking of infrastructure, the Marin Ship Engineering Study that we asked EDAC to try to perform, they kicked back to us saying we don't have the resources to do it. So if we want to do one, then maybe we could get a grant to do that. work. So those would be some of the ones that I would add. |
| 02:29:19.88 | Unknown | Thank you. Thank you. Then cast me on off. |
| 02:29:23.22 | Carolyn Revell | THE FAMILY. Yeah, I mean, my buckets are obviously gonna be very much the same. climate change not in any particular these are all sort of equally weighted but climate change obviously homeless um you know, provision of services and housing infrastructure. And I like. Councilmember Sobieski's idea about a holistic plan. for planning going forward and maybe looking at our requirements from the housing element with a different lens. having gone through a housing or parcel evolution the last time. um, you know, I think we have an opportunity to sort of look at, not just for this generation, the housing element, but housing elements in the future and try to look into our, you know, into our futurist lens. and see how could we you know, sort of have a vision going forward instead of and just complying with the minimum which I know that we need to comply with and we have to also look at the future what we think are going to be future burdens going forward as well so I think that would be an interesting exercise. Definitely if we can get some sort of funding for that as well, I think we should go after that. But the other thing is, you know, I don't want the staff or our newly engaged grant writers to be burdened by, the mountain of input we've just given them to the extent that they don't actually have time to do anything. Right. So, Um, you know, if they could, if they've got some low hanging fruit and early, um, successes that they can go after, I say, by all means go after them if you can get to it before now and if we i think we're doing our Maybe the end of March. That's my only concern. Maybe we get too much information. Thank you. |
| 02:31:13.90 | Unknown | you This is great. And just to remind everybody our meeting is March 26th at 11 a.m. is the collective time we run the Bible on a Saturday. And that's what we'll be looking through all these as well. So great list, I'm hearing a lot of support for climate, infrastructure and housing. And I love the different lines that folks are bringing to this. You know, my list echoed a lot of this climate change is still raised planning, but it's also recycled water programs and updating planning documents accordingly and looking at EV charging stations. And I think all of that is interspersed with this urban planning idea that councilman Sobieski had, you know, can we plan for sustainability and resiliency? And can we do it in a way that is illustrative of a path forward? And I like that lens on it. Infrastructure, drain sensors, pipe maintenance, street upgrades. other green infrastructure projects, green stormwater energy efficiency, Lots of opportunity to improve on the infrastructure front. from housing and homelessness, transitional bridge funding for temporary shelter and operations and affordable housing grants and tax incentives. And then I wanna add another bucket, which is economic development, So looking at different business programs and loans, boating and recreational grants, even waterfront sewage programs, there's money out there from odd sources like the California Department of Boating and Recreation has a ton of money. And one of the things I've really learned looking on climate issues is that You can take one issue and call it something differently and find funding for So if you don't want to call it a coastal resiliency project or a climate change on a circulation project, you might find money for the exact same project. So I would just urge our, grant writers to stay open-minded about how we approach the issue, what we call it. And then like councilman Cleveland knows, to look at overlapping approaches so some grants that support specific industries like manufacturing technology warehousing and distribution could be very interesting But we have economic diversity that lends itself to different grant approaches. and similarly some grants can be used for public infrastructure that could support economic development projects like storm servers or utility extensions or streets so any of that overlapping and interactive approach would be great but it sounds like we actually have some consensus on it looks like six or seven different buckets. So I think that's a really good exercise. I'm pleased to see that. Chris, do you need more direction from us? given you our wish list. for more discussion. |
| 02:33:46.93 | Chris Zapata | I just quickly want to thank the council for directing this effort October 30th and all the baseline work that's been done in the prior years, including the strategic plan. And I think that what you have told us, you did exactly what we had hoped, which is that you would give us some areas maybe we had not thought about, but you've also highlighted some common themes that that we can use to create a beginning set of priorities. And as we discussed in the staff report, what city staff has, we'll talk to our consultants and then we'll try to bring an approach to you that you can look at in terms of how it's laid out. And then hopefully, It would be under the four-year Saturday meeting in March. |
| 02:34:33.13 | Unknown | Thank you. And Chris, I just really want to commend you on behalf of the council. really excellent job we we wanted this we asked for it and you went out and made it happen so Really great work and thank you for making this a priority. I know you have your hands full, but making this happen is really important for our community and Shinsboro leadership on your part. So appreciate it. |
| 02:34:51.73 | Chris Zapata | Yeah, that direction was easy to follow. I double much more, much more consultant did the work. So a direction and action. and hopefully we can get some results and bring other people's money into some needed areas. Thank you. |
| 02:35:05.67 | Unknown | Yeah, thank you very much. Okay, but then we'll move on. We had flipped the agenda. So we're going to go back now to the public hearing item. And that is the amendment to chapter 11.12 of the Salisbury Municipal Code to create a tree replacement fee. And we'll hear from our city attorney on that. Thank you, Ms. |
| 02:35:23.98 | Mary Wagner | Chair Kellen, members of the city council, share my screen. |
| 02:35:33.64 | Mary Wagner | So hopefully you are seeing this presentation of amendment to chapter 11.12 of the Sausalito Municipal Code to create a tree replacement fee. And this is actually coming forward as a result of some input from the planning commission. and is really a request from from the commission. That's right. I'm going to advance here. So as you know, regulations regarding trees and views are set forth in chapter 1112 of the Sausalito Municipal Code. That includes requirements on how to obtain a permit to remove or alter a protected tree. That's a defined term in the code. The Planning Commission is now the body that makes that determination about tree removal or alteration permits. You used to have a trees and views committee, but those functions were transferred to the planning commission. AND THAT INVOLVES. trees on private property, protected trees on private property. So the planning commission takes a number of factors into consideration in connection with granting or denying an application for removal or alteration of a protected tree. Those criteria are set forth in chapter 11, 12. And they specifically include among other things that are related to this amendment, that in order to grant a tree removal permit, commission has to determine that one of two conditions are satisfied either that the tree to be removed will be replaced by a desirable tree or that the Planning Commission makes a decision to waive that requirement based on information provided by the applicant tree owner. So the planning commission has heard a number of applications for tree removal permits, where applicants have demonstrated difficulty planting a replacement tree on their property. One of the common reasons for that is having lots that are heavily vegetated. and it would be difficult to successfully plant an additional tree on the lot. But instead of waiving that tree replacement requirement, the commission has essentially required an in-loofy and they've conditioned issuance of tree removal permits to have the applicant pay a fee that could be utilized by the city to plant trees on public property. So the draft ordinance amends this chapter 1112-030 of the municipal code to specifically include this ability of the commission to require the payment of a fee instead of requiring planting of a replacement tree or waiving that requirement. And here I've shown you in track changes what that additional language looks And those track changes are also included in the ordinance that you have in your packet tonight. essentially just adds this new subsection B that indicates that one of the options with in connection with the tree removal permit in addition to Replacement is just payment of the fee. or the waiver. |
| 02:38:30.83 | Mary Wagner | With respect to the amount of the fee, we're recommending that the fee be established by a council resolution that adds the ability for a more streamlined process to modify the fee if necessary without going through, a first reading, second reading, and 30 days thereafter for an ordinance to go into effect. We included a couple of options for the council's consideration on establishing the fee. One suggestion is that an arborist report is required as part of an application for a tree removal permit. that Arvis report could be made to require that the arborist indicate the cost of a replacement tree of the same type as the tree to be removed. We're suggesting that there's some language in there about the size of the tree, as you all well know, You know, there's a big difference between a seedling and a fully grown tree, not only in terms of price, but also its viability in terms of successful planting. So we would suggest that it be the size that the arborist believes can be planted and have a strong opportunity to thrive. Another alternative for the council to consider is having staff reach out to local nurseries to obtain the same information. and provide that information to the Planning Commission as part of the that goes to the commission for the tree removal permit. So we'd like to get some input from the council tonight. If you move forward with this ordinance introduction. on how you would like to see that tree, excuse me, that fee resolution be framed So the recommendation tonight is to introduce way first reading and read by title only an ordinance of the city council, the city of Sausalito amending section 1112-030 of the municipal code to establish a tree replacement fee. And then as I just indicated to provide staff direction on how to establish the amount of the fee. If you were to give first reading tonight, we would return at your next meeting. on March 8th with both ordinance for second reading it would then become effective 30 days thereafter and a resolution for the council's consideration regarding the amount of the fee. And with that, I'm happy to stop screen sharing and answer any questions you may have. |
| 02:40:39.44 | Unknown | you Thank you, Mary. Any questions for the city attorney? |
| 02:40:43.06 | Unknown | Hi, everyone, Mary. Is it legal for the city to instead of charging a fee to require payment to charity or to an entity whose purposes to plant more trees or do something for the environment? |
| 02:40:58.22 | Mary Wagner | interesting question Councilmember Sobieski and not one I've looked into before so if I hear you correctly you're saying hey there's maybe a non-profit organization out there that has a broader reach than just Sausalito, we could look to that. Generally the conditions or the factors that you impose on a permit or something along those lines, they had to be kind of tied to the, TO THE the issue that's in front of you. So in this case, it's a tree being removed from Sausalito, so the logical idea is that that tree is replaced within the town of Sausalito. I'd really have to look into your question though about could it be broader than that. |
| 02:41:39.43 | Unknown | The specific idea then to explore is, you know, if you take down one tree here, you have TO PUT THEM IN THEIR PARTICIPANTS. 10 trees or 100 trees somewhere with one of the various charities that do this in an incredible way. uh, So that would be the question if we could do it. |
| 02:42:04.69 | Unknown | Is that a question for the city? |
| 02:42:06.21 | Unknown | So, |
| 02:42:06.29 | Unknown | Thank you. |
| 02:42:06.36 | Unknown | you |
| 02:42:06.44 | Unknown | Thank you. |
| 02:42:06.46 | Unknown | . |
| 02:42:06.51 | Unknown | Yeah. |
| 02:42:06.53 | Unknown | I think she says she has to figure out, she has to do some research. I wanted to see if it's possible. I think that's the answer. |
| 02:42:14.42 | Unknown | Okay, thank you. |
| 02:42:15.17 | Unknown | Thank you. |
| 02:42:16.94 | Unknown | Thank you. |
| 02:42:16.96 | Unknown | Vice Mayor, questions for the state jury? And also Ian, I would respond to that just that I know for instance, Mill Valley and San Rafael have affordable housing, funds that they the in lieu fees for development if they're not going to add another unit and I think that that usually goes towards grants so I think if there's a precedent for communities establishing a specific funding bucket for a key program or otherwise, but I don't know. I don't know for sure, but that would seem like a similar precedent. I wanted to get a sense though, it's pretty vague establish a plan for how much we're going to charge for the tree. I would like to have some sort of understanding of is and i didn't see this in the staff report um and i forgive me i wasn't on the planning commission council members that didn't serve on the planning commission before so is there a requirement for an arborist to facilitate um an inspection first of all prior to applying for one of these grants or for one of these exceptions |
| 02:43:24.19 | Mary Wagner | I can't hear you. So this all starts with a tree removal permit application being filled out. And an arborist report is required as part of that to assess the condition of the tree, and, you know, to look into the the health of the tree and all those types of things. Is that responsive to your question? |
| 02:43:43.68 | Unknown | Yeah, I wanted to understand if that was required as part of it. It is. |
| 02:43:46.23 | Mary Wagner | It is. I know. |
| 02:43:48.18 | Unknown | in terms of thinking about the fee, is this something where we could have the arborist make an assessment of the value of the tree? I guess I'm trying to understand what our options are for the cost. And also if you might, and this might be a CDD question as well. that what is the average Again, I'm not on the planning. I haven't served on the planning commission, so I'm not familiar. I mean, what is a similar fee that might be reasonable? I feel like I don't have guidance to go on in terms of the amount that we might charge. Thank you. |
| 02:44:17.78 | Mary Wagner | Sure, I'm happy to try and respond to that. Vice Mayor Blastain and if either your public works director or community development director is on, they may have some additional information to provide as well. I think it's somewhat difficult because I think, you know, the value of a fully grown tree at, you know, a certain stage of its life. you can't plant a tree of that size and it might be you know valued tens of thousands of dollars and I'm not a tree expert but you know as much as we all of course love trees we know they're very valuable but So we were trying to come up with some kind of logical I'm not sure. way to analyze what a what a good, um, fee would be. So, you know, if we require someone to replace a tree, we require it to be a desirable tree. But we don't, you know, sometimes the Planning Commission, excuse me. What? indicate the size of the box that the tree has to be. for this. sorry, they get information from the arborist about what's viable. You know, you can't plant a huge tree and expect it to be successful in a number of locations. But I'm also happy to defer to your community development director if he has some additional thoughts. |
| 02:45:28.71 | Unknown | The only thought I would have is that if you go the arborist route, it's really zooming in on what kind of tree is appropriate to replace. And we won't know what the cost of that tree is until the recommendation of that tree is made. So it's a way to get to a fee. without actually setting the fee if you go towards the arborist. I think that makes sense. |
| 02:45:54.05 | Mary Wagner | I'm thinking Vice Mayor Blaustein, we could try and look out to other jurisdictions and see if they have any similar types of of fees, you could look at it from the perspective of what is the city looking to plant. In a particular area, I don't know if we have prospectively that, that kind of information or that much information. But I will tell you, we struggled a little bit at the staff level also on how to give you options and recommendations of what the fee could be. Another option for consideration is to bring back the ordinance for second reading. provide more information that we've been able to obtain regarding the establishment of the fee, but because the ordinance won't go into effect for another 30 days, we could also return later with more information related to the fee. Thank you. |
| 02:46:44.05 | Unknown | Thanks. |
| 02:46:44.38 | Mary Wagner | helpful. Thank you. |
| 02:46:46.75 | Unknown | of prevalence? |
| 02:46:47.61 | Unknown | Thank you. |
| 02:46:49.05 | Unknown | I think, see I had two sets of questions. The first is, do we have a plan as to where the city would plant. trees. you know, do we have a plan set up? So we got a pot of money from this program What are we going to do with it? I mean, I know we've had city tree planting that has been subsidized and helped with private donations at MLK Park, We have some tree planting efforts on Caledonia. Again, thanks to Sausalito Beautiful. but I'm not really aware of any other major areas where we have a need or a plan to specifically plant. So do we have, I guess, how would we use the money and where? |
| 02:47:36.42 | Mary Wagner | Thanks for the question, Councilmember Cleveland Knowles. I think that's really probably more of a question for your Department of Public Works director. and or perhaps information related to the maintenance of city parks. As you indicated, we did have that planting at MLK in the field. That was a big project. We had Dumpy Park, obviously. There may be trees related to Southview, but not nearly as many, I'm sure, if any. Yeah. It could also be other vegetation. You know, it doesn't necessarily have to be, a tree, we could come back to you with that information about what how staff would recommend that the fund be established to kind of end how it's utilized. I'm not sure. That's one thought. |
| 02:48:22.40 | Unknown | Okay, thanks for that. And then the comments. I'm also concerned about maintaining. So we always have when we get new tree planting efforts, there's a high cost to maintaining that, including watering. So that's just an issue. And then second, When the Planning Commission was considering this, did they talk about development impact fees more broadly and other areas? that we would consider development impact fees. |
| 02:48:52.02 | Mary Wagner | They did not. And, you know, this definitely is not a development impact fee. We're not going through the process to establish this as a development impact fee. It's really an in-lieu fee. But no, there was not a more in-depth conversation about other areas. I don't know where a development impact theme may be useful And when we have to go out obviously for a fee study, generally, Just because we're having this conversation, one area that I think has been identified in the past is the stair, a stair, you know, impact fee. for the maintenance and improvement of all the public stairways in Sausalito. |
| 02:49:28.06 | Unknown | Yeah, and as Council Member Bostey noted, we have discussed a lot, the inclusionary housing impact fee, You know, there's other infrastructure fees So can you just explain the difference between an inloufi and a Thank you. |
| 02:49:46.81 | Mary Wagner | Well, I mean, a development impact fee is a statutory fee where you're offsetting, you know, a cost instead of providing a benefit or a community benefit, you are offsetting that cost to that standard ones are, Um, park fees, I'm trying to think of some others off the top of my head. Sausalito has one that I'm aware of, which is a trafficked impact fee. Uh, we don't have very many development impact fees in Sal Salado. This fee is literally just instead of planting the tree, you're going to pay a sum of money. So it's not really considered a development impact fee. You're not analyzing the impacts of the new housing project and how that impacts your schools, your roadways, your parks. So it's a different, it's a different animal. |
| 02:50:34.70 | Sybil Boutillier | Okay. |
| 02:50:35.71 | Mary Wagner | happy to return with more information if that would be |
| 02:50:39.06 | Unknown | Thank you. |
| 02:50:39.09 | Unknown | THANK YOU. Thank you. Please, may I see your hand is up. Do you have another question? It's a legacy hand. Sorry, I just want to make sure you get your phone. Mary, quick question for you. When I was on the Planning Commission last go around, we had a series of tree removals over by Crescent Ave. So much so that it was like every other week we My brother, Mena, we had a request. Does the city have any type of tree inventory? right now and Do you know if we're keeping track on a per community basis or sort of, I guess, you know, her biomass basis, if you will. |
| 02:51:19.69 | Mary Wagner | Not that I'm aware of Mayor Tillman. Thank you. |
| 02:51:22.51 | Unknown | Thank you. |
| 02:51:22.54 | Mary Wagner | Thank you. |
| 02:51:24.48 | Unknown | Thank you. I'm just asking about the habitat, I guess, angle of it. |
| 02:51:25.11 | Mary Wagner | Yeah, I'm just... |
| 02:51:28.40 | Unknown | All right. Any other questions for the city attorney? Okay. So I'll remind everybody that this is item 4a we are only taking comments now on the tree removal ordinance amendment so if you'd like to speak to the tree replacement fee now is your chance. |
| 02:51:50.59 | Serge Avila | Certainly. |
| 02:51:50.98 | Unknown | Thank you. |
| 02:51:51.03 | Serge Avila | Thank you. And it looks like we have three hands raised and the first one is over. Booth and Arthur you've been unmuted AND I'LL SHARE YOUR VIDEO. |
| 02:52:10.82 | Arthur Bruce | Can you hear me? |
| 02:52:12.31 | Unknown | Yes, we can. |
| 02:52:14.01 | Arthur Bruce | Um... I'm not sure. inventory. Ahem. Okay. I've said this before. I'll say again. It's almost 10 o'clock. You gotta suffer here listening to you talking heads, talking about money. tree inventories. I'm not. Your own citizens are out here suffering lying, being abused. |
| 02:52:47.84 | Arthur Bruce | It's just shameful. And I hope that quickly we can, to the public comment, open public comment section again. And I also wanted to note that at the beginning of the meeting, it clearly states in your criteria that the live stream is supposed to begin a few minutes, a few moments before the meeting starts, which was at 6 p.m. for public comments today. And it did not start according to my watch until 6.02, 6.03 PM. and the allotment for public comments was quickly, I'm not sure. heard and decided that no hands were raised and I'm sure that uh at least half a dozen people were trying to make comments at the beginning of the public comments section of this meeting. And that's all I have on the, tree issue. |
| 02:53:43.47 | Unknown | Thank you very much. Sir, please call the nice speaker. |
| 02:53:48.22 | Serge Avila | Our next speaker is Vicki, no calls. Vicki, you've been unmuted and asked to share your video. |
| 02:53:57.94 | Vicki Nichols | I thank you again. I wasn't even aware that, I was aware this was on the agenda, but I have, something for the council to consider as you're looking at revising this first of all i agree with the mayor about some kind of inventory or something about the trees we did have that condition and this fee this in lieu fee could fill in those spots where trees are not so i would there's many trees that could be placed within south salido to fill these needs repl replacements in a park with a damaged tree, et cetera. But what I wanna talk about right now is there are four trees on my block that have red tags. I first wanna thank Public Works. They've been trying to save these trees. There's some kind of scale that they suffered from. They did some great treatments. It did not prevail. So they've been red tagged and they're being removed. How do we apply this ordinance for replacement these are city trees these trees are critical for the street we will have no trees on caledonia from at the streetscape. from uh, Caledonia to Bermuda. on one side once these are removed. So do the citizens, can we contribute or how are you, how is the city required? We don't wanna get on a waiting list where this is a low priority. We wanna know how we can be proactive, but I don't see anything in this ordinance about, you know, you're asking private people to do it. What does the city do it on public land? That's my question, I guess. I'm sorry. |
| 02:55:41.02 | Unknown | Thank you. Okay, we have one more speaker, Serge? |
| 02:55:47.19 | Serge Avila | Yes, our next speaker is Peter Romanowski. Peter, you've been invited. |
| 02:55:56.42 | Peter Romanowski | THE BEST OF THE BEST OF THE Yep. Sorry for talking in bed, you know, I'm not sure. Uh, like I say, Uh-oh. I was 72 years old, And it's pretty hard to get around And I've been anchored out here since 84, you know, except for three years in Galilee Harbor. Now on the tree issue, Jesus said, if you have faith, You can say to a sycamine tree to be planted in the ocean. We need some trees planted in the ocean here, so to speak, you know, some permanent housing. And we need trees planted in Dunphy Park. Whoever destroyed Dunphy Park, you know, a curse on them. That place looks like a golf course. There's no shade there. They destroyed the the beautiful historical bench there. And it just seems, you know, the hill people, we call them hill skunks and, you know, they call us waterfront rats. The hill skunks up there, all you hill skunks, You're destroying the environment with your houses. And attacks on trees, come on. Look at Lebanon. Has no trees. Look at Israel, all the trees were cut down over taxes on trees. But there are a lot of olive trees and the Israelis are planting Yes, there should be more trees. Of course, I like redwoods, but the real issue is people don't want their views, their million dollar views obstructed. With trees. Rolling. I'm for redwood trees. They grow fast and tall. And, but, you know, tax on trees, I don't know. Tree fees, I don't know. But if you're gonna use, at least put some trees in Dunphy Park, I mean, even Molly Stones brought in some huge you know, palm trees. And those those sick trees they put in Dumpy Park will take a generation to grow. |
| 02:57:57.53 | Serge Avila | . |
| 02:57:57.59 | Unknown | you |
| 02:57:57.65 | Peter Romanowski | Thank you. |
| 02:57:57.69 | Unknown | I know. |
| 02:57:57.87 | Peter Romanowski | Thank you. |
| 02:57:57.92 | Unknown | Two minutes. |
| 02:57:58.68 | Peter Romanowski | I'm going to go. |
| 02:57:59.04 | Serge Avila | you Thank you. |
| 02:57:59.81 | Unknown | Thank you. |
| 02:58:00.13 | Serge Avila | Thank you. |
| 02:58:00.52 | Unknown | Thank you very much. Sir, does anybody else have their hand up? |
| 02:58:05.33 | Serge Avila | Let them air, there are no other hands free. |
| 02:58:05.36 | Unknown | what I mean? We will close public comment and bring it back up. Quick question for the city attorney. I have Becky Nichols made an interesting point about the city's obligation when the city removes trees. Would this cover that in any way? |
| 02:58:24.32 | Mary Wagner | So decisions about trees on public property are made by the city engineer. And the city engineer also makes the determinations about additional plantings or replacement of trees. |
| 02:58:38.51 | Unknown | Okay. So perhaps we'll pursue that under other means, but you're telling us this ordinance amendment does not apply. Excuse me. I'm not sure. Any other questions or comments or is anybody ready to make a motion? |
| 02:58:52.38 | Unknown | I'm interested in this idea of leveraging for the public good. removal a contribution to environment and environmental group that would actually a substantially larger number of trees. . to attend to climate change, to improve the environment, Um, in the entire scheme of the application process, that our homeowners have, they get a lot of fees. And there seems to be something nice about the idea that if there are that one of these fees is not just going to the general city coffers and that it's actually connected to a particular good. uh, My experience is also that I know there's a individual who's been trying to donate 40 oak trees to the city. And it's been a real challenge to find a place to put and burden on DVW to do so. So I'm concerned that our best intentions, that we have this one-for-one swap or some kind of deployment of trees inside the town when we cut one down, it's actually gonna be hard to implement. And just another thing for DPW, you struggle with? So I would like to have something that's easy to administer, but can actually more beneficial to the world as a whole, if it's possible. |
| 03:00:16.50 | Unknown | And Mary, if you could just clarify for Council Member Sobieski, this goes into a tree replacement fund. So not into a general coffer. It is in fact earmarked for trees, correct? |
| 03:00:27.28 | Mary Wagner | Correct, I mean, it would be basically a separate kind of line item in the accounting that the finance department would create so that those could be tracked and you know I'd have to defer to your finance director on how that actually would work but That would be the concept. |
| 03:00:44.95 | Unknown | Okay. |
| 03:00:45.73 | Mary Wagner | Yeah. |
| 03:00:47.60 | Unknown | Okay, I didn't see which order, was it the vice mayor and then council member Cleveland? |
| 03:00:53.52 | Unknown | I would be prepared to make a motion that we come back for the second reading with more information about our options in terms of the tree fee and answering some of the questions that council member Sobieski has brought up and that the mayor has brought up Vicki Eagles' comments. So if we have more information on that, but the ordinance itself, in my opinion, is ready to, be moved on to the second reading. just Put that version out there. Maybe it's too soon. |
| 03:01:20.80 | Unknown | Thank you. |
| 03:01:20.96 | Unknown | Thank you. |
| 03:01:24.19 | Unknown | So... I'm sorry, that is in fact the motion that is recommended by staff. Correct? Thank you. |
| 03:01:32.39 | Mary Wagner | If I may, Mayor Kellman? Yes. This is one of those interesting statutes where you actually have to read the title of the ordinance. So the recommended motion is that the council introduce, wave first reading and read by title only, an ordinance of the city council of the city of Sausalito amending section 1112-030. of the Salisado Municipal Code to establish a tree replacement fee. |
| 03:01:57.38 | Unknown | Okay, so does the vice mayor need to reread that or can she reference your statement? She didn't make the reference to that statement. |
| 03:02:02.97 | Mary Wagner | if she so chooses. |
| 03:02:04.55 | Unknown | Thank you. |
| 03:02:04.57 | Mary Wagner | Thank you. |
| 03:02:05.58 | Unknown | I would reference this statement. in lieu of reading it again. |
| 03:02:10.22 | Unknown | Thank you. |
| 03:02:10.24 | Unknown | Thank you. |
| 03:02:10.80 | Unknown | Thank you. |
| 03:02:11.03 | Unknown | I'm, |
| 03:02:12.11 | Unknown | Thank you. |
| 03:02:12.15 | Unknown | Anybody would like to second that? I'll prepare to second it. Yeah, no second. Okay, we'll take it from Council Member Hoffman. I do see, let's call that vote, but I do see you have your hand up, Council Member of Cleveland Laws. We have a motion on the table, so I'm gonna call the vote. on that and then You have your hand up, I'm not sure if you wanted to make a move. |
| 03:02:33.86 | Unknown | I wanted to make some comments. |
| 03:02:38.12 | Unknown | Okay, I'm just following Robert's Rules of Order, motions on the table, we take the vote. don't take other comments. I'm happy to take, I'm just a bit simple. |
| 03:02:45.32 | Unknown | I don't think that's the way we normally do it but maybe Mary could um just clarify. Happy to receive your comments. Why don't you, why don't you have the floor? Okay. I can't. So if we make a motion, anyway, we can talk about it later, but if you wanna make a motion to end discussion, then that ends the discussion. um, that that wasn't the motion. So in any case, I would just, I really want to echo what Ian said and I think Vice Mayor Barstein was going, this just seems like it could be a really added burden in terms of, I just want to make sure that this is as simple as possible. And I did not, I don't think any kind of case by case determination of a fee is workable. I think there should be one. B, one flat C. for three graduated fees or something. So when it comes back, I will only vote for this if it's easy to administer and we have a plan for what we're gonna do. with the money. how that's going to be implemented and stuff. You know, also to Ian's point, like, do we have rooms on public spaces to put the trees. I mean, we had to be very careful with MLK to keep the field clear. We have to be careful with other public spaces about damaging sidewalks and other pavement so I just want to make sure before we go ahead with this that we don't end up with a pot of money that going to be hard and difficult to administer and hard to use so thank you Thank you. |
| 03:04:16.61 | Unknown | Very helpful. Thank you. Okay, well we have a motion on the table, we have a second. Serge, will you please call the roll? |
| 03:04:24.72 | Serge Avila | Councilmember Sobieski? Yes. Councilman included that. |
| 03:04:28.95 | Unknown | Yes. |
| 03:04:29.32 | Unknown | Thank you. |
| 03:04:29.98 | Serge Avila | Council Member Hoffman. . |
| 03:04:31.38 | Unknown | Thank you. |
| 03:04:31.42 | Serge Avila | Bye. |
| 03:04:31.43 | Unknown | Bye. |
| 03:04:31.45 | Serge Avila | you I'm not sure what's going on. Thank you. |
| 03:04:33.84 | Unknown | Yeah. |
| 03:04:33.98 | Serge Avila | Thank you. Mayor, comment. |
| 03:04:35.67 | Unknown | Yes. Thank you. Okay, thank you everybody. Okay, now we are moving on to item six, which is communications. This is the time on the agenda for members of the public to provide any public comment for items that are not on the agenda, except in a limited situation, state law precludes the council from taking action on or engaging in discussions concerning items of business that are not on the agenda. However, the council may briefly respond to statements made or questions posed by a member of the public, ask clarifying questions, make a brief announcement or refer matters not on the agenda to city staff or direct the subject be agendized for a future meeting. If you'd like to provide a public comment, please raise your hand in the Zoom application. Again, I remind you, please keep your comments respectful and focused. We want to listen to any individual who requests to speak and each speaker has a responsibility to act in a civil and courteous manner as defined by this council will not tolerate hate speech, direct or indirect threats or abuse of language and the meeting host will mute anyone who fails to follow the guidelines. So Serge, I see a few hands up. |
| 03:05:35.24 | Serge Avila | Mayor, our first speaker is... TIN, TIN. And you've been unmuted and asked to share your video. |
| 03:05:45.51 | Unknown | Hi, can you all hear me? Yes, we can. Welcome. Great. Thank you so much. I apologize. I'm not well, but I have no. and I hope you'll oblige me beyond two minutes within reason if need be. as I believe you should all hear this. Preservation of the Raptors. Personally, I could care less what you do with Cypress Ridge. It's not really under any threat. We all know that. unless of course you have no appropriate alternatives to the state of California mandate for 724 inclusionary units which the wealthy constituents of the hill cannot find. nor prevent. back. Moving along. Title 24, the Code of Federal Regulation. Subtitle A, part 91, section 91.5. states the definition of homeless. Any individual or family who lacks a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence. Therefore, anchor out. meet the criteria. as they are not fastened securely in a post list. Over the course of this last year, I've witnessed an increase in hostility towards the anchor our community and those who advocate for them. In fact, it's part of the waterfront management plan for the Sausalito Police Department to seize vessels they determined to be marine debris. While the constitution does not include a right to housing, the fifth and 14th amendment, have a due process clause which prohibits deprivation of life, liberty or property without due process of law. Let's be clear. What you're actually doing here, is crushing the only shelter available to a homeless person. as defined by federal regulations, and then shaming them. discriminating against them. and confining them to a field of sledge for months. And as if that weren't bad enough, you then confine them to the tennis court. which I refer to more appropriately as Southern Marin main jail. as to the explosion and fire? Charlie, you're Two minutes have a lapse. Thank you. |
| 03:07:49.95 | Unknown | Thank you very much. |
| 03:07:51.59 | Unknown | So we pick up the weed on fire. |
| 03:07:56.55 | Serge Avila | Our next speaker is Jason Salas. Jason, you're being unmuted and I'm going to share your video. |
| 03:08:13.90 | Unknown | Um... Okay. |
| 03:08:15.02 | Jason Salas | Okay. |
| 03:08:15.40 | Unknown | Thank you. |
| 03:08:16.21 | Jason Salas | I got it. I got it. Okay, uh, I really cannot believe that you've called the state of emergency. For the homeless. You've spent $1.3 million. And now you're asking for more money, more manpower. You spend 460,000 on a six month contract to Urban Alchemy. who have, There's videos that have surfaced. about verbal assault. A member of the Anchor Out community just got physically assaulted by urban alchemy. Um, Every step of the way, You spent this money. and you're no better for it right now. There's... so much. more you could have done. in a more humane way. I THINK YOU WOULD BE have thugs for police right now. that are- just running wild. AND, All this is started because of the RBRA crushing boats. And in my opinion, you all should be suing the RBRA for your money woes. Thank you. |
| 03:09:36.26 | Unknown | Thank you, Jason. Appreciate that. NEXT, PLEASE. |
| 03:09:41.42 | Serge Avila | My next speaker is Peter Romanowski, Peter was muted. Master, share your video. |
| 03:09:48.67 | Peter Romanowski | I'm not sure. Thank you, I'm trying to Huda. I'll turn on the video here. I'll start my video. All right. Anyways, um, Peter Olmanowski back. I'm sorry if it seems like I'm coming on a lot, but I've missed so many city council meetings. that I'm just trying to make up for time. You know, I ran for city council in Sausalito way back when, and I got a good response. I came in second. I beat out an airline stewardess and a homeless man. Anyways, I've run for every office you can imagine in this Marin County, you know, from state assembly on a Republican ticket to, Sauselio sewer board, everything, everything. But I've never been elected because I've never been able to afford a candidate statement. I was too poor. after my divorce, you know. But anyways, surviving on a waterfront here in Sausalito and the homeless camp and the tent city, the big office building right next to the homeless camp should be purchased. by the city of Solicito and have emergency housing There's plenty of empty rooms in Sausalito. When I lived on the nicest house on the block in San Salmo, and my children's mother owns it now, a three-story house today with garden and redwoods, We took in every homeless person in San Somo, just my wife and I. Weak. one family cured the problem and there's a statue that looks like me uh in San Somo a dress like Indiana Jones and I believe the angels did that because I had the oldest homeless shelter So And, uh, was in one of my own county. If everybody would take in a homeless person, It would solve the problem. You're destroying the environment, your big empty houses, the banks on all these big empty houses and heating them. That's what's destroying the environment, not a handful of poor anchor outs that have nothing. 100% unemployed. Employment has a loss. |
| 03:11:56.10 | Unknown | Thank you very much, Mr. Romanoski. |
| 03:11:58.79 | Serge Avila | The next speaker is Eva's iPhone, Eva, you've been unneeded, and I should share your video. |
| 03:12:06.82 | Eva Cresante | Thanks so much. I'd like to second Mr. Saracen's comments. regarding the problem that that was really dumped onto your laps because of the RVRA's actions. I do want to point out that Joan Cox was a major cheerleader for that and I doubt you could sue her. I don't think she has enough money to cover your woes, but RBRA is, is a target. Curtis Havel should also be looked at. Um, It's this shouldn't have happened. In the immediate near term, I think it's, it's, a little bit inconsistent to declare a state of emergency because there was a fire at the camp when you haven't provided any fire extinguishers. So if the goal of the state of emergency is to put yourself in a position where you can access state or federal funds, I think the state, and the feds might be asking what precautions you provided to the camp. And I don't know that you provided any sort of you know, basically, fire extinguisher type thing. And even a fire extinguisher, even something simple like that, which the city of Novato has provided. And it's, I think it's worth comparing how you've, I hate to say it, mismanaged the situation. Not all of it was your fault because of what was left to you by the RBRA, but to compare that with what's happening in Novato is really instructive. And I think if you could model yourself more on that cooperative model rather than the antagonistic model that you're taking, it would be much more productive and also less costly for the city. But in the immediate near term, really, you need to get some fire extinguishers for that camp. I also want to point out, There's a new law, AB 362, that I think some of the people in your camp might be able to utilize Thank you very much, Emma. |
| 03:14:16.20 | Serge Avila | Thank you. I've had your two minutes left. Our next speaker is Arthur Bruce. Arthur, you're being unmuted. I'll share your video. |
| 03:14:26.66 | Unknown | Um... |
| 03:14:30.83 | Unknown | On February 9th, Arthur Bruce entered the tennis courts to deliver a wheelchair bound residence, some of her belongings. I witnessed an Urban Alchemy employee approach him aggressively, shine a flashlight in his face and verbally intimidate him into leaving the tennis courts. The next day I reported it to Anthony. one of the urban Alchemy chef supervisors. In my understanding, Arthur was assaulted later that evening by the same individual injuring his right arm rendering him unable to get back to his boat. He's been refused a tent, cited and harassed by Gregory Mathers and Padilla, and evicted from the Marin Ship parking lot. However, Arthur's an anchor out from our community. He's not a drug addict. He's an amazing dad. And he's a perfect candidate for the Safe Harbor pilot program. yet platforms and tents have been provided to people that don't even belong here. coming from other camps, demanding entitlement to free housing in Sausalito. which has convoluted the whole circus That being said, I filed a public records request specifically inquiring about the safe harbor program, but was emailed a copy of the waterfront management plan. So it begs the question, what happened to Chief Roy Barker's program? Is it defunct? I'm talking about the one from page 18, which states Sausalito has a demonstrated compassion. and an opportunity for long-term success with the Safe Harbor Program to assist in the goal of empowering Anchor Routes Does it actually exist or was that fake news? Just asking, thanks. |
| 03:16:11.80 | Serge Avila | Our next speaker is Joan Cox. Joan, you've been unmuted. Master, share your video. |
| 03:16:18.90 | Joan Cox | THANK YOU. I thought I would, I thought I would take the opportunity to address a couple of the misinformed public comments this evening. um, Sausalito. withdrew from RBI at the end of 2016 and so the act of RBI to removing crushed boats from its waters has nothing to do with Sausalito. Sausalito, in fact, enacted a moratorium on the removal of boats from the water, from its waters during the pandemic. In addition, Sausalito's boat management program puts occupied boats at the bottom of the priority list and we negotiated and fought hard with BCDC to get five years to identify alternative solutions for our occupied boats and our waters. And I started the Safe Harbor Program on behalf of the City of Sausalito, in which we obtained slips at every nearly every Molina in Sausalito to move and boats off the water into slips where they are safer and the St. Harbor programming is alive and well. And it does offer compassion and additional opportunities for Sausalito boat dwellers. So I don't know who thinks that any anchor out would have a cause of action against me. I actually worked very hard on their behalf and continue to do so even after I left campus. So just wanted to set the record straight on that. |
| 03:17:51.48 | Unknown | Thank you. |
| 03:17:52.12 | Joan Cox | Thank you. |
| 03:17:52.13 | Unknown | Thank you very much. See one more speaker, sir. |
| 03:17:56.18 | Serge Avila | Madam Mayor, we have one more speaker with the phone number 415-532-4675. You've been unmuted and I should share your video. |
| 03:18:10.12 | Unknown | Hello. Can you all hear my name? Yes? I can see you all really nicely dressed. Well groomed. and the wonderful things that you have in your lives Really great. You are so professional in what you do. What? It's pretty good to know that All of you. at the Saturday. to take the showers away. from the homeless. Amen. I hope that you have some remorse. over such a cruelty. against human beings. I heard somewhere about. you will be capable of doing those things. And I couldn't believe it at first. Now, it's confirmed. It is absolutely Sad. realize that you have no compassion as so ever. to help your own fellow American citizens. Hoffman, the Lady Jill Hoffman, She knows. She's been an ethical on everything she has done with these people. And she knows that she broke her code of ethics. AND THESE gentlemen, Sobieski. you know, He hasn't even had the courage to go to the camp. I'm taking it. I'm trying to mend a head. All of you look beautiful. Nice, you long beans. that a human being without a compassion It's an empty share. you roll up. Please look deep in your souls. Do something. help these people Put the kitchen that you add in the paper that you were given a kitchen to these people six months ago. Give them shows. Keep them clean and warm. I need a helping hand. Please do. Look deep inside tonight. I hope you have a nightmare that makes you wake up. How have you been there? |
| 03:20:13.21 | Unknown | All right, Serge, thank you. any other members of the public She's speaking. |
| 03:20:18.54 | Serge Avila | Madam Mayor, it appears as we have no other hands free. |
| 03:20:22.02 | Unknown | All right, thanks very much. We'll close public comment. We'll move on item seven, council member committee reports. Anybody want to add anything? I would want to thank Councilman Cleveland-Knowles for her written reports. Very informative, appreciate the good work. you're doing there. Anybody else want to? Truman. |
| 03:20:39.74 | Unknown | I attended a water policy MCCMC special meeting. Last week where we hosted Congressman Jared Huffman. and he spoke to the group about the potential for recovery act dollars associated with water and obviously water recycling in light of the drought. It was a really interesting meeting. There was a lot of productive discussion He offered up his office as a resource for getting some answers to questions about what grant funding might be available with regards to water. So that was really interesting. we can definitely follow up and it might make sense as we think about and speak to the, um, GRANT. the new grant priorities. So I just wanted to make sure to report out on that. The sustainability commission meeting was postponed to allow folks from the sustainability commission to attend the housing element town hall. So there's no report out. And the disaster preparedness committee meeting was moved to this week because the agenda was not posted in time for the meeting last week. So that will be tomorrow. Thank you. |
| 03:21:43.73 | Unknown | Thank you very much. |
| 03:21:44.28 | Unknown | Thank you. |
| 03:21:44.33 | Unknown | MISSING. |
| 03:21:44.64 | Unknown | Thank you. |
| 03:21:44.72 | Unknown | Thank you. |
| 03:21:47.08 | Unknown | Neither of them. Yeah, I think I pretty much covered the feedback meeting from last night in our prior conversation, but just for the record, they had a really good presentation on the bike and pedestrian possibilities from Harbor South to Napa Street. RIGHT. Thank you for that. I really appreciate it. |
| 03:22:09.97 | Unknown | Yeah. any other comments? just mention that uh councilor sobeski and i have a finance committee meeting on the 28th and Council Member, pardon me, Vice Mayor Blasian and I will have a legislative committee this month. Thank you. dialing in the date for that. |
| 03:22:31.13 | Unknown | When's the next Finance Committee meeting? |
| 03:22:33.59 | Unknown | THE 20th. |
| 03:22:37.51 | Unknown | Okay, I'm gonna open up the public comment. If anybody has public comment on the committee report specifically. Sirs, are there any hands? |
| 03:22:47.09 | Serge Avila | Madam Mayor, I see no hands raised for this particular item. |
| 03:22:50.77 | Unknown | Okay, public comment is now closed. Move on to item eight, the city manager reports appointments and other council business. Go ahead and take public comment on items 8B through 8E. Again, this is public comment on city manager reports and any appointments. We see two hands raised, one hand raised. |
| 03:23:16.08 | Serge Avila | Thank you. |
| 03:23:16.18 | Unknown | Yeah. |
| 03:23:17.26 | Serge Avila | Madam Mayor, we do have one hand raised Call number 415-532-4675, you are unmuted. |
| 03:23:24.25 | Unknown | Thank you. |
| 03:23:24.28 | Serge Avila | Right. |
| 03:23:24.33 | Unknown | If I could ask the speaker to state your name for the record, that would be helpful. Thank you. |
| 03:23:34.39 | Unknown | Bye. |
| 03:23:34.65 | Unknown | Thank you. |
| 03:23:36.87 | Unknown | Hello? Can anybody hear me? |
| 03:23:39.05 | Unknown | Yes, you're welcome. |
| 03:23:40.60 | Unknown | I'm sorry, I kind of didn't hear what this was about, these comments. Thanks. |
| 03:23:46.48 | Unknown | you for the community reports from the council members. |
| 03:23:50.05 | Unknown | community |
| 03:23:50.49 | Unknown | Pardon me, this is the city manager reports. |
| 03:23:50.63 | Unknown | you |
| 03:23:54.00 | Unknown | Yeah, he's a record cheerleader. |
| 03:23:54.66 | Unknown | City Manager reports. Well, yes, I can say something about the city manager. |
| 03:23:56.85 | Unknown | Well, yes. |
| 03:24:01.70 | Unknown | who went and offered so many things over to the people on the continent to this day false promises. Again, we're looking at a person with a day world politics. that he thinks that it will work here It doesn't work. All right. really unfortunate that This gentleman is doing this job and his qualifications and his degrees does not Fuck it up. Uh-huh. You know, if you I tried to help human beings. you should try to go ahead and try to go help the people, Mr. Saparra. That would be lovely, it would be wonderful. you will be honored to the beautiful last name that you have. Bye. It is sad. realize that how calm is. This gentleman is and he is not helping. anybody at this camp. making a worse where you put all the people They are fighting each other. to a point of actually blowing things up. And this is what we are creating. And this is a power. Uh-huh. GUILT. Thank you. all of that. because lots of people professional. work that he's supposed to do. These are human beings that are Is it not a solid tree that you can hardcore display. Please go help the people. give them showers. Please, I'm begging from you guys to do so. Your two minutes have arrived. |
| 03:25:49.04 | Serge Avila | you And next week. |
| 03:25:51.64 | Unknown | Yeah, sorry, sir, I just want to reiterate that, This is for a city manager report, comments on the city manager report. So if it's not directly related, this may not be the time for you to give your public comment. So I just wanna make sure everybody's aware what the item is right now. Thank you. |
| 03:26:09.58 | Serge Avila | Madam Mayor, we do have one more hand raised and that's Peter Romanowski. And Peter, you've been unmuted and has to share your video. |
| 03:26:19.08 | Peter Romanowski | I guess. Um, What is the... just Sure. Obviously, yeah. report. What is the gist of it? Because I don't have it in front of me, you know. Oh, can you hear me? THE END OF THE |
| 03:26:34.15 | Unknown | Thank you. |
| 03:26:34.16 | Peter Romanowski | Thank you. |
| 03:26:35.12 | Unknown | We can, we don't have a back and forth during this, so you're welcome to make your comments as it relates to this agenda item. |
| 03:26:42.70 | Peter Romanowski | Okay, what's the number one item on the city manager's report? |
| 03:26:51.07 | Unknown | I'll leave it to you to make your public comment as you see fit. |
| 03:26:54.77 | Peter Romanowski | Oh, okay. Okay. I want to say city manager, Mr. Zapata, welcome to Sausalito. I first set foot in this town in 1964. and I've been in or around this town since. And, uh, I'm the last surviving hippie that I know of down here and the old assault that I know of, except for Greg Baker. Welcome to this town. Welcome to this town. The homeless crisis is going to number one issue. It's blowing up. It's exploding. People are dying in the streets. Two people have died at the tent and saw a red everybody's off. It's all over America, Mr. Zapata. You have a chance in this town, which is a cultural generator to the whole world. The whole world is watching what's happening right now in Sofia. It's been on Vice Television. There's two documentaries being made. And I'm in two of them. that. This is a major media historical event, which is happening here, which is a part of, and the former mayor of this town, Dunphy, burnt down the dry docks in the middle of the day by the way this is how sauce you know operates they sent the fire department out to burn down the dry docks and then he bragged about it at a rotary club meeting or alliance club meeting in tiburon and i saw it in the ight gate we're not making this stuff up You know, anyways, boy, God bless you, Mr. Your two minutes have left. |
| 03:28:31.73 | Serge Avila | Thank you. Thank you, sir. Our next speaker is Arthur Bruce. Arthur, you're being unmuted and as you share your video. |
| 03:28:42.70 | Arthur Bruce | Oh, man. Can you hear me? |
| 03:28:44.72 | Unknown | YES, WE CAN. |
| 03:28:45.20 | Arthur Bruce | you In regards to the City Manager's report. I was wondering if it could possibly refer left whether or not I might be eligible even though I've already and did one purchased one and paid for it and have the receipt be eligible for an overnight parking pass at the homeless camp so is that I might be able to use the toilet and facilities at least until my arm heals enough to be able to paddle my kayak back to my boat thank you very much everyone have a wonderful evening It's been a great game. |
| 03:29:27.30 | Unknown | Thank you. Serge, any more public comments? |
| 03:29:30.94 | Serge Avila | Madam Mayor, it looks like there are no other hands free. |
| 03:29:33.95 | Unknown | Okay, we're going to close the public comment and go to AB, city manager information for the council. |
| 03:29:41.14 | Chris Zapata | Thank you Mayor, members of the council, members of the public. I don't have a report. Provide some information for the public. regarding showers. The city has worked with the South City Health Club to provide showers on weekends for members of the encampment. I think that's clear and that that's an opportunity to utilize that service which the residents are providing. With respect to fire extinguishers, we have provided fire extinguishers out of the encampment. sometimes they go missing. So we'll look at that and see if we need to replace those, but I appreciate the comment by Uh-huh. the person that brought that up as something that we should look into. That concludes my report. |
| 03:30:21.59 | Unknown | Thank you. Okay, no appointments to boards, commissions and committees. I'll just remind everybody, we will be doing interviews on the 26th on our Saturday meeting. On to item, let's see, AD, future agenda items. So I'll just note that, I don't remember March 8th being set to be this busy with all those business items. So I would just advise, we're gonna review that and probably make an adjustment Okay, good. I see a thumbs up in Cousin River Cleveland. Also, we'll try to even that out between March 8th and March 22nd. Any future agenda items not already on that extensive list. Okay, great job everybody. All right, moving on then. To other reports of significance. Don't think we have any, any other council members have? important. Okay, then I will make motion to adjourn or just call for the adjournment. Thank you everybody. Bye-bye. |
| 03:31:25.22 | Joan Cox | Thank you. Thank you. |
| 03:31:25.91 | Unknown | Bye. |
| 03:31:26.27 | Joan Cox | Thank you. Thank you. |
| 03:31:26.52 | Unknown | Thank you. |
| 03:31:27.25 | Joan Cox | Thank you. |