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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2026 03-17 CC MIN+�- CALIFORNIA --,,+. INCORPORATED REGULAR MEETING MINUTES OF THE CITY COUNCIL March 17, 2026, 6:00 p.m. City Council Chamber - 1243 National City Boulevard National City, CA Present: Councilmember Bush Councilmember Rodriguez Councilmember Yamane Vice -Mayor Molina Mayor Morrison Others Present: Alejandro Hernandez, Acting City Manager Heidi Skinner, Interim City Attorney Shelley Chapel, City Clerk (via Zoom) Rachelle Barrera, Acting Director of Finance Jeremy Day, Fire Battalion Chief Danielle Ghio, City Librarian Tirza Gonzalez, Operations Manager Alicia Hicks, Director of Human Resources Tonya Hussain, Deputy City Clerk Martha Juarez, Acting Deputy City Manager David McEachern, Community Development Specialist III Sergio Mora, Fire Chief Mike Pacheco, Director of Community Services Martin Reeder, Director of Community Development Chris Sullivan, Police Captain 1. CALL TO ORDER A Regular Meeting of the City Council of the City of National City was called to order at 6:14 p.m. via teleconference and in the Council Chamber, located in City Hall, 1243 National City Boulevard, National City, California. 2. ROLL CALL Councilmembers present: Bush, Rodriguez, Yamane, Molina, Morrison Interpretation in Spanish provided by Carlos Diaz and Luisa Diaz de Leon. 3. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG Councilmember Bush led the Pledge of Allegiance. 4. INVOCATION Invocation delivered by National City Christian Center Co -Pastor Robert Dominguez. Mayor Morrison announced that the meeting would be adjourned in memory of Gail Mitchell and Esperanza Nunez de Molina. 5. PUBLIC COMMENT Mayor Morrison summarized the process for acceptance of live public comment allowing two (2) minutes per comment. In -Person Comment: Roberto Umana Matias Sue Mayberry Ted Godshalk Luisa McCarthy Mica Polanco JoAnn Fields Purita Javier Cesar Javier M. Severson M. Cuevas Paul Wapnowski R. Pacheco Ed Nieto Doyle Morrison Alisha Morrison Maria Sanchez Jennifer Gustamante In accordance with City Council Policy 104, the allotted time of 30 minutes had been reached for Public Comment. Mayor Morrison continued remaining speakers to the end of the meeting. 6. PROCLAMATIONS AND RECOGNITION Item taken out of order. 6.4 Employee of the Quarter - Blanca Rincon Acting Deputy City Manager Martha Juarez introduced Blanca Rincon. Mayor Morrison presented the Proclamation. Proclamation was accepted by Blanca Rincon. Item taken out of order. 6.2 Proclamation - Sweetwater High School Mock Trial Team Vice -Mayor Molina introduced the members of the team. Mayor Morrison presented the Proclamation. The Proclamation was accepted by team members. Item taken out of order. 6.3 Proclamation - Honoring the Sweetwater High School Girls Wrestling Team Councilmember Bush introduced the team. Mayor Morrison presented the Proclamation to the team. The Proclamation was accepted by team members. Item taken out of order. 6.1 Proclamation - Women's History Month Honoring America Donatto, Ana R. Melgoza, Catherine "Cat" Arambula, Christine Moore, Christine Perri, Clarissa Reyes Falcon, Dr. Guadalupe Rodriguez Corona, Dr. Zaihly Azar, Fanny Miller, Janice Martineli, Jennifer Bustamante, Jenny Ng, JoAnn Fields, Katty Ibarra- Garcia, Liz Ramirez, Maria Carriedo Ceniceros, MD, Melyn Acasio, Michelle Diaz Agha, Norma Bello, Sandy Naranjo, Sarah Morga, Sofia Salgado Robitaille, Ugochi Iwuaba, Veronica Dela Rosa, M.B.A. Written comment was received from Luisa McCarthy and Micaela Polanco. Vice -Mayor Molina introduced the honorees. Mayor Morrison presented the proclamation. The honorees were present and accepted the proclamation. Mayor Morrison called for a recess at 7:33 p.m., all returned to the dais at 7:45 p.m. 7. REGIONAL BOARDS AND COMMITTEE REPORTS (Limited to Five (5) Minutes each Public comment was received by Cesar Javier. Councilmember Yamane provided an update on a legislative meeting for the Sweetwater Authority and provided information for the Water Affordability Program. Councilmember Yamane reported on San Diego Community Power and their support of Senate Bill 1138 and Assembly Bill 1176. Vice -Mayor Molina reported on the SANDAG Board of Director's meeting and Closed Session discussion regarding ArcGis and an upcoming meeting for the Annual Board Retreat. Mayor Morrison spoke to his attendance at the Civic Wells Conference on behalf of the Sweetwater Authority where rural and urban planning and government policy issues were discussed. Port of San Diego Commissioner GilAnthony Ungab provided a PowerPoint presentation. 8. INTERVIEWS AND APPOINTMENTS 8.1 Appointments: City Boards, Commissions, and Committees — City Council Interview and Appointment for the Planning Commission and the Housing Advisory Committee. Public comment was received from Cesar Javier. Recommendation: City Council to Conduct Interviews and Appoint. Interviews were conducted for the following Planning Commission applicants: Richard Martin Miller Randi Castle -Salgado Sean Sampsell City Council ballot votes for two Planning Commissioners were as follows: Councilmember Bush — Richard Martin Miller and Randi Castle -Salgado Councilmember Rodriguez — Richard Martin Miller and Randi Castle -Salgado Councilmember Yamane — Richard Martin Miller and Randi Castle -Salgado Vice -Mayor Molina — Richard Martin Miller and Randi Castle -Salgado Mayor Morrison — Richard Martin Miller and Randi Castle -Salgado Applicants Richard Martin Miller and Randi Castle -Salgado received the majority of the votes and were reappointed to the Planning Commission with a term ending March 31, 2030. Interviews were not conducted for the Housing Advisory Committee. The City Council continued appointment consideration to a future City Council meeting to allow for more applicants. 8.2 Appointments: City Boards, Commissions, and Committees — Mayoral Appointments to the Board of Library Trustees; Community & Police Relations Commission; and, Parks, Recreation & Senior Citizens Advisory Committee. Recommendation: Mayoral Appointment with the City Councilmembers' Confirmation. ACTION: Motion by Mayor Morrison, seconded by Councilmember Yamane to appoint Ricardo Carmona to the Board of Library Trustees with a term ending September 30, 2027. Motion carried by unanimous vote. ACTION: Motion by Councilmember Yamane, seconded by Mayor Morrison to appoint Jared Blackwell and Rob Rice to the Community & Police Relations Commission with a term ending March 31, 2029. Motion carried by unanimous vote. ACTION: Motion by Mayor Morrison, seconded by Councilmember Yamane to appoint Jesus Hizon and Lorna Delos Santos to the Parks, Recreation & Senior Citizen's Advisory Committee with a term ending March 31, 2029. Motion carried by unanimous vote. 9. CONSENT CALENDAR ACTION: Motion by Councilmember Bush, seconded by Councilmember Yamane to approve Consent Calendar Items with the exception of agenda items 9.3, 9.5, 9.6, 9.11, 9.13, and 9.14 pulled for public comment. Item 9.8 was pulled by Councilmember Rodriguez for discussion. Motion carried by unanimous vote. 9.1 Approval of Reading by Title Only and Waiver of Reading in Full of Ordinance on this Agenda Motion carried by unanimous vote. 9.2 Approval of the City Council Meeting Minutes. Approve and file. Motion carried by unanimous vote. Item pulled for discussion. Item taken out of order. 9.8 2025 Housing Element Annual Progress Report Councilmember Rodriguez posed questions to staff. Director of Community Development Martin Reeder addressed the Council. Recommendation: Accept and file the 2025 Housing Element Annual Progress Report Pursuant to California Code Section 65400 to the California Department of Housing and Community Development ("HCD") and Office of Planning and Research ("OPR"). ACTION: Motion by Councilmember Rodriguez, seconded by Councilmember Bush to accept and file the report. Motion carried by unanimous vote. Item pulled for discussion. 9.3 Approval of an Amendment to the Agreement with Civica Law Group, APC, for Legal Services in Connection with a Specific Code Enforcement Litigation by Increasing the Not -to -Exceed Amount by $425,000, for a New Total Not -to -Exceed Amount of $ 500,000. Adopted Resolution No. 2026-21. Public comment was received from Thomas Rike. Recommendation: Adopt the Resolution Entitled, "Resolution of the City Council of the City of National City, California, Authorizing an Amendment to the Agreement between the City of National City and Civica Law Group, APC, for Legal Services in the Specialized Area of Code Enforcement by Increasing the Not -to - Exceed Amount by $425,000, for a New Total Not -to -Exceed Amount of $500,000." ACTION: Motion by Councilmember Yamane, seconded by Councilmember Rodriguez to approve the staff recommendation for agenda items 9.3, 9.5, 9.6, 9.11, 9.13, and 9.14. Motion carried by unanimous vote. 9.4 California State Library Lunch at the Library Grant Funds Acceptance Adopted Resolution No. 2026-22. Adopt the Resolution Entitled "Resolution of the City Council of the City of National City, California, Authorizing the City Manager or Designee to Accept the California State Library Grant in the Amount of $6,428 to Fund the National City Public Library's Lunch at the Library Program for Summer 2026, and Authorizing the Establishment of a Library Grants Fund Appropriation and Corresponding Revenue Budget in the Amount of $6,428." Motion carried by unanimous vote. Item pulled for public comment. 9.5 Citywide Sharp Multi -Function Device Lifecycle Replacement Adopted Resolution No. 2026-23. Public comment was received from Thomas Rike. Recommendation: Adopt a Resolution Entitled: "Resolution of the City Council of the City of National City, California, 1) Waiving the Formal Bid Process pursuant to National City Municipal Code Section 2.60.260 Regarding Cooperative Purchasing and Authorizing the City to Piggyback onto the National Association of State Procurement Officials (NASPO) ValuePoint Master Agreement #188627 through the State of California Participating Addendum #7-24-70-46-07 with Sharp Business Systems, a Division of Sharp Electronics Corporation, for the Lease and Maintenance of Twenty-four Multi -Function Devices; and 2) Authorizing the City Manager to Execute All Documents Related to the Lease and Maintenance of the Sharp Multi -function Devices." ACTION: Motion by Councilmember Yamane, seconded by Councilmember Rodriguez to approve the staff recommendation for agenda items 9.3, 9.5, 9.6, 9.11, 9.13, and 9.14. Motion carried by unanimous vote. Item pulled for public comment. 9.6 First Amendment to the Agreement with Circuit Transit Inc. for operations of the FRANC Electric Vehicle On -Demand Shuttle Service Adopted Resolution No. 2026-24. Public comment was received from Thomas Rike. Written comment was received from Zaide Jurado. Recommendation: Adopt a Resolution Entitled, "Resolution of the City Council of the City of National City, California, Authorizing the Mayor to Execute a First Amendment to the Agreement with Circuit Transit Inc. to Modify the Scope of Services and Extend the Term of the Agreement to September 3, 2027." ACTION: Motion by Councilmember Yamane, seconded by Councilmember Rodriguez to approve the staff recommendation for agenda items 9.3, 9.5, 9.6, 9.11, 9.13, and 9.14. Motion carried by unanimous vote. 9.7 2024 and 2025 General Plan Annual Progress Reports Accept and file the reports. Motion carried by unanimous vote. 9.9 Installation of "2-Hour" Parking on the East Side of "I" Avenue, Adjacent to Crisostomo Dental Located at 905 E. 8th Street to Increase Parking Turnover for Customers." Adopted Resolution No. 2026-25. Adopt a Resolution Entitled, "Resolution of the City Council of the City of National City, California, Authorizing the Installation of 70 feet of Parallel "2-hour" Parking on the East Side of "I" Avenue Adjacent to Crisostomo Dental Located at 905 E. 8tn Street to Increase Parking Turnover for Customers." Motion carried by unanimous vote. 9.10 Project Close -Out and Notice of Completion for the Eastside 1-805 Community Greenbelt Project, CIP No. 22-09. Adopted Resolution No. 2026-26. Adopt a Resolution Entitled, "Resolution of the City Council of the City of National City, California, 1) Accepting the Work Performed by Dick Miller, Inc. for the Eastside 1-805 Community Greenbelt Project, CIP No. 22-09; 2) Ratifying Change Order Work in the Amount of $1,132,922.28; 3) Approving the Final Contract Amount of $4,229,896.61; 4) Ratifying the Release of Retention in the Amount of $211,494.83; and 5) Authorizing the Mayor to Sign the Notice of Completion." Motion carried by unanimous vote. Item pulled for public comment. 9.11 Project Close -Out and Notice of Completion for the Kimball Park Ballfield Lighting Improvements, CIP No. 24-10. Adopted Resolution No. 2026-27. Public comment was received from Thomas Rike. Recommendation: Adopt a Resolution Entitled, "Resolution of the City Council of the City of National City, California, 1) Accepting the Work Performed by Huntington Beach Electric Inc. for the Kimball Park Ballfield Lighting Improvements Project, CIP No. 24-10; 2) Approving the Final Contract Amount of $246,613.53; 3) Ratifying the Release of Retention in the Amount of $12,330.68; and 4) Authorizing the Mayor to Sign the Notice of Completion. ACTION: Motion by Councilmember Yamane, seconded by Councilmember Rodriguez to approve the staff recommendation for agenda items 9.3, 9.5, 9.6, 9.11, 9.13, and 9.14. Motion carried by unanimous vote. 9.12 Temporary Use Permit — 7th Annual End of Summer Car Show and Cruise Hosted by Plaques for Warriors at Kimball Park on Saturday, September 5, 2026, from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. with No Waiver of Fees Approve the Application for a Temporary Use Permit Subject to Compliance with all Conditions of Approval with No Waiver of Fees and in Accordance with City Council Policy 802. Motion carried by unanimous vote. Item pulled for public comment. 9.13 Warrant Register No. 31 for the Period of 1/23/26 through 1/29/26 in the Amount of $2,965,337.79 Public comment was received from Thomas Rike. Recommendation: Ratify Warrants Totaling $2,965,337.79. ACTION: Motion by Councilmember Yamane, seconded by Councilmember Rodriguez to approve the staff recommendation for agenda items 9.3, 9.5, 9.6, 9.11, 9.13, and 9.14. Motion carried by unanimous vote. Item pulled for public comment. 9.14 Warrant Register No. 32 for the Period of 1/30/26 through 2/5/26 in the Amount of $2,925,883.20 Public comment was received from Thomas Rike. Recommendation: Ratify Warrants Totaling $2,925,883.20. ACTION: Motion by Councilmember Yamane, seconded by Councilmember Rodriguez to approve the staff recommendation for agenda items 9.3, 9.5, 9.6, 9.11, 9.13, and 9.14. Motion carried by unanimous vote. 10. PUBLIC HEARING 10.1 Public Hearing No. 1 of 2 for the 2026-2027 HUD CDBG and HOME Annual Action Plan. Community Development Specialist III David McEachern reported on the item. Recommendation: Conduct the Public Hearing and Receive Public Comments on the Upcoming FY2026-2027 HUD Annual Action Plan. Mayor Morrison declared the Public Hearing open at 9:09 p.m. There was no public comment. ACTION: Motion by Councilmember Yamane, seconded by Councilmember Rodriguez to close the public hearing. Motion carried by unanimous vote. Public Hearing closed at 9:09 p.m. 10.2 Consideration of a Determination Categorically Exempt from (CEQA) Under Class 3 of the CEQA Guidelines Section 15303 and Conditional Use Permit for Beer and Wine Sales at a New Restaurant to be Located at 21 West 7th Street. Adopted Resolution No. 2026-28. Director of Community Development Martin Reeder provided a PowerPoint presentation. Applicant Marco Pollo was present and answered questions posed by the City Council. Councilmember Yamane disclosed that she had spoken with the applicant. Mayor Morrison declared the Public Hearing open at 9:33 p.m. There was no public comment. ACTION: Motion by Councilmember Yamane, seconded by Councilmember Rodriguez to close the public hearing. Motion carried by unanimous vote. Public Hearing closed at 9:33 p.m. Recommendation: Adopt the Resolution Entitled: "Resolution of the City Council of the City of National City, California, Determining that the Project is Categorically Exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Under Class 3 of the CEQA Guidelines Section 15303 (New Construction or Conversion of Small Structures) and Approving a Conditional Use Permit for Beer and Wine Sales (ABC Type-41) at a New Restaurant to be Located at 21 West 7th Street." ACTION: Motion by Councilmember Rodriguez, seconded by Vice -Mayor Molina to adopt the resolution. Motion carried by unanimous vote. Councilmember Rodriguez left the dais at 9:38 p.m. and returned at 9:42 p.m. Councilmember Bush left the dais at 9:42 p.m. and returned at 9:43 p.m. 11. STAFF REPORTS 11.1 Presentation - Public Provider Ground Emergency Medical Transport Program Battalion Chief Jeremy Day provided a PowerPoint presentation. Public comment received from Ed Nieto. Recommendation: Receive the Presentation Regarding the Progress toward Building a Public Provider Ground Emergency Medical Transport Program as a Permanent Emergency Service Delivery Model for the National City Fire Department. ACTION: Motion by Councilmember Rodriguez, seconded by Councilmember Yamane to direct staff to continue the work in Phases 1-5, report back to the City Council in 60 days, and provide an update on work being for all phases in the operational timelines. Motion carried by unanimous vote In accordance with City Council Policy 104, remaining speakers for Agenda Item No. 5 provided public comment. Virtual Comment: Terri Skelly Becky Rapp Madison Rapp 12. CITY MANAGER'S REPORT Interim City Manager Hernandez provided closing comments. 13. ELECTED OFFICIALS REPORT Closing remarks were provided by members of the City Council. 14. CITY ATTORNEY REPORT Mayor Morrison introduced Interim City Attorney Heidi Skinner who announced there was no reportable action on Closed Session Items 5.1 through 5.4. 5.1 SIGNIFICANT EXPOSURE TO LITIGATION Pursuant to Paragraph (2) Subdivision (d) Government Code Section 54956.9 Number of Cases: 1 5.2 PUBLIC EMPLOYMENT Government Code Section 54957(b)(1) Position: City Manager 5.3 LIABILITY CLAIM Pursuant to paragraph (1) of Subdivision (d) of Government Code 54956.9 WORKERS COMPENSATION CLAIM NO. 21-158619 WCAB Case No. ADJ15287062 Claimant: Thomas Wilkins 5.4 PUBLIC EMPLOYMENT Government Code Section 54957(b)(1) Position: City Attorney 15. ADJOURNMENT Mayor Morrison adjourned the meeting in memory of Gail Mitchell and Esperanza Nunez de Molina to the Regular Meeting of the City Council of the City of National City, Tuesday, April 7, 2026 at 6:00 p.m. in the Council Chamber, located in City Hall, 1243 National City Boulevard, National City, California. The meeting adjourned at 10:31 p.m. Ton 61 ussain, CIVIC, Deputy City Clerk The foregoing minutes were approved at the R a Meeting of April 7, 2026. Ron'Morrison, or k -'